The BMW Group Information Technology Research Center is part of BMW’s regional investment and partnership with the State of South Carolina. Together, BMW with the State and Clemson University have collaborated to create the International Center for Automotive Research and CU-ICAR campus.

Located on the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research campus, the Information Technology Research Center is an integral part of BMW’s research and development network. The ITRC provides an important platform within the BMW Group for joint innovation projects with leading IT companies in the U.S.

As the center of gravity for Information Technology innovation, the U.S. is the natural place to develop and refine applied technologies. Mobile broadband networks, mobile devices and the mobile internet are revolutionizing business processes in the automotive industry and allow substantial efficiency gains but also become part of the vehicle owner’s “digital lifestyle” – influencing the interface to the vehicle and its IT backend requirements.

At the ITRC, mechanical, electrical, computer engineers and students – both from BMW, the IT industry and universities – are working in an open innovation model on exciting proof of concepts and pilot projects where IT innovations move automotive solutions forward. A specific effort is made to find synergy between IT infrastructure, IT applications and manufacturing process-related innovation topics due to the close collaboration with Plant Spartanburg.