With the opening of General Motors’ new Information Technology Innovation Center in Chandler — joining only three others in the United States — the automaker has created about 500 jobs with plans to have 1,000 people working on-site within five years.

With about 25 percent of the starting staff being recent college graduates, workers at the 170,000 square-foot facility are part of GM’s plan to in-source its innovation. The automaker also wants to improve company performance and cut costs for ongoing operations.

The new facility is in Chandler’s Price Corridor, further establishing it as a technology hub. GM’s other IT Innovation Centers are in Warren, Mich.; Austin, Texas; and Roswell, Ga.