Interview with Mr. Kishor Patil,  Co-Founder, CEO and MD, KPIT Technologies and Automobilwoche

About the Direction of KPIT:

In 2019, we took a bold decision at KPIT to focus only on the automotive and mobility industry. There were several reasons for this: For over 15 years, we concentrated on CASE technologies and built competencies across all key automotive software domains. Since 2019-20, CASE software started ballooning, and a new paradigm of software-defined vehicles was born. Most vehicle manufacturers worldwide wanted to start their journey in this so as to aim for SDV based vehicle program SOP to start from 2025-26. OEMs need a strong partner for software, just like they need one for semiconductors or cloud. KPIT has strong competencies to develop software and we are independent (Meaning independent or not aligned to specific hardware, chip or cloud ecosystem). This unique and strong positioning helped us become strategic partners to vehicle makers to create software-defined vehicle roadmaps jointly. This is now the focus of KPIT. More than 80% of our work revolves around cutting-edge SDV programs. We are playing a key role globally in 6 out of 9 SDV programs.

Last but not least, semiconductor manufacturers and technology companies are becoming increasingly important in the automotive industry. It is also evident that with so much software content, integrating software and software OR software with hardware will be essential, hence the role of a software integrator. With a strong alliance network, we are very uniquely positioned.

Renault and Honda have named KPIT a strategic technology partner for the next generation of the software-defined vehicle. How important are these engagements for your company?

Renault engagement is a milestone for us. This role of the software integration partner is just as important in the software-defined vehicle as that of a suitable semiconductor or cloud partner. Renault already has partners in the areas of cloud and semiconductors, and in KPIT they have a strong software partner. Honda announced a similar partnership with KPIT for developing their software to define a mobility roadmap over the next ten years. More than 2000 engineers from our engineers are working on the software-defined vehicle. We are very pleased and proud that global automotive leaders trust us, and we will reimagine mobility together.

Do you also expect such cooperation with German vehicle manufacturers?

That would be possible. We work with German vehicle manufacturers in the field of software and already play an important role for them.

In Germany, KPIT also has partnerships with suppliers such as ZF Friedrichshafen or dSpace. Do you want to expand your network?

First, I would like to emphasize that middleware plays a special role in the software-defined vehicle, which requires intensive cooperation between the companies involved. That's why KPIT and ZF have development cooperation in place set up QORIX. We believe an independent company can be a catalyst in developing standardized solutions. QORIX will focus on building a mature, modular, scalable middleware stack that will benefit the industry. We also expect that there will be other companies that will join this partnership. I am sure this partnership will create immense value.

Why do you also enter partnerships with suppliers?

Firstly: To be able to offer clients a comprehensive solution, we bring together the relevant partners to be able to provide a holistic solution. Secondly: For software solutions that are not differentiating for the vehicle manufacturer, it can be advantageous for an OEM to have software solutions based on standards and not be dependent on specific suppliers. At KPIT, we are independent company and our focus is to build platforms and solutions that can work across chip, hardware, cloud ecosystems.

Why did you take over the Munich company Technica Engineering in 2022?

I shared that Software-Defined Vehicles have expansive capabilities across the technology development lifecycle. Technica Engineering has strengths in production-ready prototyping, E/E vehicle network architecture, automotive Ethernet, and validation tools. We are thus expanding our portfolio for OEMs around the software-defined vehicle. This will add to our technology portfolio and help create smart and efficient architecture for clients. Industry leaders have deeply appreciated our joint offerings. I also invite leaders from the Mobility ecosystem to meet us at industry forums like ELIV/ Automotive Ethernet Congress to explore our joint solutions.

Are you planning further acquisitions?

We are open to acquisitions worldwide if they improve our know-how in the new technologies.

How many employees do you have?

As of April 2023, we have over 11000 employees worldwide, including over 1,000 in Germany.

Software specialists are in demand. Can you find enough employees?

We have focused on attracting and retaining top-quality talent. We have a talent-specific mission at KPIT called "Best Place to Grow." As a result of consistent efforts, we've attracted a lot of talent in the last few years. On the other hand, we also train a lot. We only look for experts with very specific specialist knowledge. KPIT is a pure technology company, working with various vehicle manufacturers and offers career options globally. Word got around.

How many employees are you looking for in 2023?

While many technology companies seem watchful and cutting back, we are in a growth phase and have a strong hiring pipeline. Globally we added over 3000 people to KPIT over FY22-23. We will continue to hire.

Do you also have other sectors in your sights in addition to the automotive industry in Germany?

We focus entirely on the vehicle and mobility industry. There is still a lot for us to do here.

Where will KPIT be in ten years?

Automotive mobility is an exciting area in which software plays an increasingly important role. We will continue to grow in this field over the next ten years. It should also be relevant to the automotive industry if we deal with other areas. But technology is changing quickly, and we are agile and watchful of changes. But we are flexible enough to be able to react to changes.

How important is the KPIT location in Munich?

Munich is our largest location outside of India and is important for our global customers and not only our German and European customers. We get access to excellent talent and ones passionate about the world of automotive and mobility. Our Asian and North American customers also visit the Munich development center to see our work and interact with our teams. Some of our technology centers of excellence are only located here. Munich is a global center of competence for KPIT. Employees from 25 nations work for us here. This is important for innovations and other approaches to solving tasks. This is very important to us. We like European diversity.