Nissan Joins Tech Giants in the Heart of Silicon Valley

There’s something in the air that simply inspires innovation in the southern Bay Area known as Silicon Valley. That’s why you’ll find offices and research centers for so many of today’s largest tech companies hard at work there. Lately, however, other companies have been opening new facilities in Silicon Valley as well, such as Japanese automaker Nissan.

At first glance, this might seem like an odd place for the creators of models like the Versa, Rogue and Armada to be opening up shop. But after careful consideration, Ron Sayer Nissan can’t imagine Nissan operating anywhere else.

The reason why? The company hopes to tackle some serious issues currently facing the automotive world, many of which will require advanced computers in order to address.

The first that caught our attention is an autonomous driving system. Through a series of computers and sensors, Nissan would allow a vehicle to literally drive itself.

Another that stands to benefit drivers from the greater Idaho Falls area and beyond: connected vehicles. By connecting a smaller computer in the car to the internet, Nissan could create a system where vehicles automatically notify each other of changes in the weather, construction or potential hazards.

“This lab is focused in reaching out beyond the cars to things that are beyond the automobile,” explains MIT Media Lab Professor Alex Pentland. “It is really trying to think about the car in society and not just the car and the interior of it and I think that’s the future.”1

Moving forward Ron Sayer Nissan will be keeping an eye out for further projects from this research center that could benefit the new Nissan lineup we offer at 1175 N. Woodruff Ave, Idaho Falls, ID 83401. Want to stay up to date on the latest? Simply stay tuned to our blog via your RSS reader.