AMD expands India R&D for ‘Shanghai’ chip work

By Suzanne Deffree, Managing Editor, News -- Electronic News, 11/29/2007

AMD today announced the opening of a new silicon design and platform R&D facility in Bangalore, India, saying it needed space to accommodate its growing employee base there.

Without providing details on hiring plans, the MPU maker said future and existing India-based AMD employees will move into the new 52,000-square-foot center upon its completion. AMD further said it will continue operating its first facility in the city, using the existing office space for administration, sales and marketing staffs.

Ironically, AMD’s engineering staffs in Bangalore are focusing on "Shanghai," AMD's first 45-nm quad-core MPU, and are currently involved in design testing and optimization of the new chip. Prior to their efforts on Shanghai, the teams were responsible for delivering intellectual property (IP) for the first quad-core AMD Opteron microprocessor, previously codenamed "Barcelona."

"Our engineering employees in India play a critical role in AMD's global design network, and this new R&D center gives them the world-class equipment and resources they need to excel," said Hector Ruiz, AMD's chairman and CEO, in a statement. "In AMD's quest to become the technology partner of choice for the industry, this facility is vital to help us design and deliver industry-leading solutions specifically tailored to the needs of our customers in India, and for all our customers worldwide."

AMD by no means is alone in its interest in the subcontinent. Indeed, its chief rival and the MPU market leader Intel Corp. last month unveiled a new program aimed at helping India-based companies and designers to build products with embedded Intel Architecture-based and XScale processors. According to recent report issued by the India Semiconductor Association (ISA) and business research and consulting firm Frost & Sullivan,  India's 2007 annual growth in the semiconductor market is nearly triple the rate at which the global semiconductor market is expanding,.

"In a short span of six years of presence in India, AMD has posted marketshare gains as well as significant contributions to global R&D efforts,” Alok Ohrie, managing director, AMD India, said in the statement. “AMD India's expansion demonstrates the confidence our corporation has in the delivery capabilities of the India R&D teams."