General Motors plans to hire up to 10,000 computer professionals in the next three-to-five years as it tries to lead the auto industry with cutting-edge technology.

The nation's biggest automaker is moving past layoffs and the Motor City's rusty, low-tech image in a bold and expensive move to develop software and invent the most advanced gizmos for your car, rather than buy software and other electronic applications from outside companies. Experts say it's also the start of a trend as manufacturers realize that software is among the few things that will set them apart from competitors.

"The companies that build the software themselves in general are going to have an advantage," says David Kirkpatrick, author of a book about Facebook and CEO of Techonomy Media Inc., a New York firm that specializes in setting up technology conferences. "If you outsource the development of software in particular to others, you can risk ... your own ability to compete in the future."

General Motors Co. isn't alone in trying to move more technology development under its roof. But the plans of its biggest competitor, Ford Motor Co., aren't nearly as ambitious.