India is the hot bed for technology: Barrett

BANGALORE: "India continues to be the hot bed for technology and we are scaling up operations and infrastructure in the country," said the visiting Intel Corporation CEO Craig Barrett. India along with Israel and Ireland were the three `I’s for Intel as the hot beds for technology and development in the past couple of years. While Israel and Ireland boast of Intel’s manufacturing facilities, India is the proud host of company’s software development center.

"Apart from these countries China and Russia are also emerging as the new hot bed areas for technology. While China possesses both engineering skills and manufacturing infrastructure, Russia is attractive for its rich engineering skills. However we continue to invest in India, as the country is still one of the attractive hot spots for investments," commented Barrett.

Intel’s development center in Bangalore has 1000 engineers and according to Barrett the number would increase up to 3000, within the next couple of years. To support the increase in the head count, Intel would have to cough up investment in the range of $ 100 to $ 200 million.

Barrett also announced that a design team is being established to engage in high-end, 32 bit Intel Architecture microprocessor design and development at the Intel India Development Center in Bangalore. "There is a lot more in 32 bit computing processor although, we have proceeded to 64 bit computing processor. End users are not asking for more processor speed, it is computing capabilities that they want and there is a lot more capabilities in the 32 bit," added Intel’s chief.

In an effort to make India a `Total IT Nation’, Barrett urged the country to extend its software leadership into new areas of innovation, including circuit design, hardware creation, high-tech manufacturing and the delivery of information technology services. Adopting a strategy of balanced innovation is the key to India’s long term economic growth, he said.

Yesterday, in the nation’s capital, while addressing a gathering of business leaders and government officials, Barrett complemented India for instituting information technology and telecom reform, starting broadband pilots and allowing foreign business ownership, calling them good first steps to enhance its future in the global digital economy.

But he also cautioned business and government leaders on the other factors that could inhibit technology development and slacken India’s advancement into a global market. These factors include inadequate infrastructure, high tariffs and taxes on IT products, a climate that discourages investment and low PC and Internet penetration.