(Yicai Global) Feb. 23 -- China's SAIC Motor will hold the world's first automotive service-oriented architecture conference in April, inviting developers and users to join.

The carmaker welcomes industry players to build a smart car ecosystem that benefits all, the Paper reported yesterday, citing Li Jun, chief executive of the Shanghai-based firm's software unit.

SOA is a software design approach that enables services to jump onto different platforms. SAIC has been investing in the field by setting up SAIC Lingshu Software last May to build an SOA platform. The unit aims to double its research and development headcount to 1,000 people by December.

SAIC Lingshu Software has worked with developers to create dozens of application scenarios for smart cars, said Li. SOA will help transform automotive software products to become an integral part of the Internet of Things and smart cities, he added.

Editor: Emmi Laine, Xiao Yi