At GM’s Canadian Technical Centre (CTC) Markham Campus, the global automotive giant quietly reinvents the way people connect with their vehicles. The engineering facility, one of four GM engineering facilities in Ontario, hosts GM’s largest infotainment software team in the world. A cross-section of engineers and big thinkers design ideas that stretch the limits of connectivity and safety, helping fuel the next generation of automobiles.
“Here, our engineers and software developers are focused on advanced mobility innovation including the development of next-generation autonomous vehicle software and controls, active safety and advanced driver assistance systems, infotainment, connected vehicle technologies and data analytics,” says Tobias Suenner, vice president of the GM Canadian Technical Centre (CTC). “Equipped with the latest technology and connectivity tools, the CTC Markham campus enables employees to innovate, collaborate and lead the future of mobility, right here in Canada.”
Around 700 employees work within the CTC Markham Campus’ 150,000-square-foot facility’s state-of-the-art labs and testing spaces. The facility has been integral in software development for BrightDrop, GM’s technology startup which is helping decarbonize last-mile deliveries and innovating within the safety sphere with Lane Keep Assist and hands-free Super Cruise.
The CTC Markham Campus was opened in 2018, selected by GM for its proximity to Toronto and the Toronto-Kitchener/Waterloo Innovation Corridor – a cluster of top world-renowned universities and first-class research institutions, as well as academic experts and the next generation of innovators. Markham is home to one of the largest Information Communication Technology (ICT) clusters in North America and GM has benefitted from that rich ecosystem of start-ups, incubators, and accelerators. It’s also found an important partner in Markham itself.
“The City of Markham has always been supportive of the work being done at GM’s CTC Markham Campus,” says Suenner. “GM regularly collaborates with the city for awareness initiatives, tours, local talent attraction, and interview opportunities.”
The CTC Markham Campus was recently the site of the Ontario government's announcement to invest $56.4-million investment in the Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network (OVIN), part of Driving Prosperity – The Future of Ontario’s Automotive Sector, a roadmap for dealmaking and production mandates to strengthen Ontario’s position as an automotive and electric vehicle (EV) innovation hub.
Markham is well-poised to be the epicentre for autotech innovation. “Over the past five years, we have rapidly grown the CTC across all four Ontario locations which has become GM’s second-largest automotive software engineering and development cluster in North America and third in the world,” says Suenner. “Looking at the next five years, the contributions of the CTC will transform the vehicles GM offers in North America – from autonomous technologies to EV controls to infotainment.”
