Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda) has opened Honda Software Studio Osaka, a new software development operation, in April 2025, at the Grand Green Osaka, a multifunctional commercial complex located in Umeda area, Osaka, Japan.
Honda has positioned “enhanced application of intelligent technologies” as the key element to increase the competitiveness of its products, particularly its electrified vehicles, and previously announced the plan to invest approximately 2 trillion yen in software-related research and development over the 10-year period through FY2031 (fiscal year ending March 31, 2031). Based on this direction, Honda has been working on the recruitment of software talent with a high level of expertise and a focus on boosting associate engagement*1 and development capability.
As a part of this initiative, Honda has been continuously enhancing its workplace environment for software engineers, expanding the network of its software development operations, starting in October 2023 from Osaka, to Omiya, Shinagawa, Nagoya and Fukuoka. Honda Software Studio Osaka became operational in April 2025 by upgrading the original software development operation in Osaka, and a new development operation in Tokyo is scheduled to open in early 2026.
Honda is conducting software development through collaboration between its automobile development operation in Tochigi, Japan — the center of Honda automobile product development — and its software development operations located throughout the country. By leveraging the know-how of such multi-base software development, a well-established company-wide remote work environment and the state-of-the-art facilities established at the new Honda Software Studio Osaka, Honda is realizing high productivity and seamless collaboration among all software development operations.
Moreover, Honda is expecting the addition of Honda Software Studio Osaka will boost recruitment of highly talented software engineers and accelerate collaboration with academic researchers and partner companies located in the Osaka/Kansai region, which will enable Honda to create new value for its customers and society. Moving forward, Honda plans to further enhance its human resources in the area of software, by expanding Honda Software Studio Osaka to have approximately 500 associates, which makes Osaka/Kansai the second-largest Honda software development operation in Japan, after the Tokyo/Kanto region.
Key features of Honda Software Studio Osaka
– A wide range of development teams
Honda Software Studio Osaka brings together a number of development teams responsible for a wide variety of technologies Honda will develop independently to realize its software-defined vehicles (SDVs) including automated driving and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS); various apps such as smart cabin apps; SoC (System on Chip), which is the hardware to run apps efficiently; and the vehicle OS which is a platform that controls the SoC and apps.
– Associates with a wide range of backgrounds
As of June 2025, Honda Software Studio Osaka has approximately 100 associates, of which about 85% joined Honda through mid-career recruitment. Those associates leverage a wide variety of career backgrounds, such as system integrators*2, engineers in railroad or electronics companies, and play an important role at Honda by bringing fresh ideas and perspectives that traditional mobility manufacturers did not have. Honda Software Studio Osaka has been increasing the competitiveness of Honda products with speed by combining the expertise of associates who join Honda with experience in different industries together with in-depth knowledge about Honda technologies possessed by associates who started their career at Honda.
– Adoption of Activity-based Working (ABW) to support flexible and diverse work styles
Honda Software Studio Osaka adopts Activity-based Working (ABW) style, which liberates associates from a conventional “fixed seating” style and supports more flexible and diverse ways of working. Each associate can choose the most suitable work environment based on the nature and situation of their tasks. The ABW style was adopted with an aim to enhance motivation, maximize performance and foster the flexible thinking of associates. In addition, the adoption of an office design based on the concept of “communication first,” promotes and accelerates spontaneous communication among engineers and different teams, which is expected to lead to dramatic improvement in productivity and new value creation for the entire operation.
– Unique features installed based on “The Three Realities Principle”
Honda Software Studio Osaka features unique workspaces such as a “project booth,” where project members can engage in discussions and work in front of the actual hardware equipment under development, and a “debug room” equipped with office facilities that enable engineers to work on actual hardware components, including a proper ventilation system to allow soldering work. Moreover, there are some parking spots secured on the basement floor to create a development environment where engineers have easy access to the finished vehicles to which the software they are developing will be applied. These unique features of Honda Software Studio Osaka will contribute to the improvement of product quality and development efficiency by accelerating software testing and debugging*3 processes and by improving the reliability of software through verification on its actual operating environment.
While it is an office environment where software engineers tend to spend most of their work hours at their desk, Honda Software Studio Osaka offers a development environment where engineers can touch and test their work on actual hardware. By offering such a work environment, Honda strives to realize a fusion of cutting-edge software development and the long-cherished culture of Honda guided by “The Three Realities Principle,” which emphasizes “going to the real spot, understanding the real situation, and making realistic decisions.”
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