Adobe to invest $50 m in R&D expansion

NEW DELHI: Adobe Systems will invest $50 million over a period of five years

to expand its R&D activities in the country. The first phase of expansion,

which will see an investment of $10 million, is expected to be complete by June

2002. During this phase, Adobe will recruit 300 engineers and build a 75,000 sq.

ft. facility in Noida. During the second phase, another 100,000 sq. ft will be

added to house an additional 500 engineers. The center will develop products for

data import and export, mobile devices, and image and video compression.

According to Bruce Chizen, President and CEO of Adobe Systems, the investment

would be raised through a combination of direct FDI, debt, and internal

accruals.

Adobe India, which was set up in 1998 has an existing R&D center with 90

engineers. It contributes less than a third of Adobe's global sales turnover.

Adobe’s India sales have not really taken off due to piracy, which is as high

as 90 per cent.

Adobe has tied up with the online bookseller, www.firstandsecond.com

and noted fiction writer Tara Deshpande to publish the first collaborative

e-book on the Net. The e-book which will be called "The launch of the

motive" adopts a unique approach to fiction writing. Deshpande will write

the first chapter and put it up on the site www.themotive.net

. Readers can download it from the site and write the second chapter. After

screening, Deshpande will choose the best contribution and add it as the second

chapter. Likewise, there will be seven chapters where alternate chapters will be

written by the public and the best will be chosen. The last chapter will be

written by Deshpande herself so that the story gets a logical conclusion.