Google on Wednesday announced plans to launch a "self-driving technology development center" in Novi, Mich., just outside the home of the American auto industry in Detroit.

The facility will span 53,000 square feet, and allow easier collaboration with industry partners — as well as recruiting more talent in the sector, Google said. The move-in process should span the rest of 2016.

Google didn't elaborate much farther on what the center will handle, but did say that one of its first objectives will be preparing self-driving Pacifica minivans in partnership with Fiat Chrysler.

Many corporations across the auto and high-tech industies are beginning to partner on self-driving vehicles, from Google through to ridesharing services like Uber and Lyft. Indeed, Apple's $1 billion investment in Didi Chuxing could be connected, since ridesharing firms are ultimately expected to cut out human drivers, or even become a primary source of transportation.