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Journalism of Courage
The number of transistors on those tiny chips brains sitting in most electronic gadgets you use, nearly double every year. But what is even more impressive is the way these chips are tested before being released, to ensure they work right the first time.
From automobiles to avionics, companies make mammoth investments, primarily to manufacture and then to verify the designs of these chips with increasing intelligence and decreasing size. There is a parallel technology emerging to verify these designs in the form of emulators tools that allow users to simulate real world operations. Today there is a demand for emulators that can turn weeks and months of simulation into seconds of testing. This includes both hardware in the form of special purpose machines and special tools required to act as front end. 8220;It is, however, an ongoing process,8221; says Robert Hum, Senior Vice-President, Product Operations, IKOS. 8220;As the designs change, there is a need for more complex and sensitive design verification tools.8221;
The best news for India, is that while manufacturing these simulators is a capital intensive activity, the research and development in this area, as Hum admits, 8220;is something which Indian IT pros were cut out for8221;.
Quick to recognise the potential of Indian professionals, IKOS, a provider of design verification solutions, has opened a research and development facility at NOIDA near Delhi. 8220;The India centre is our largest software development site outside the Cupertino headquarters, and compliments IKOS8217; other development centres in California, Massachusetts, Minnesota and New Jersy,8221; says Hum.
Therefore, it8217;s more than obvious just why MNCs are turning to India for research projects. While in the United States, the enrollment in engineering programmes has declined by nearly 10 per cent every year, Hum says engineers coming out of the IIT system in India have been getting quality education in areas like software, algorithms, design, etc. which is vital for the IT industry today. Another very important factor, is the presence of small start-up companies in India, saving MNCs the trouble of starting from scratch. 8220;The Indian technology expertise and our marketing and distribution channels, is just the right mix for our kind of business,8221; he adds.
At the NOIDA facility, the company plans to undertake research for core as well as future technologies. 8220;Here, we will also be working on solutions which will be applicable 3-5 years from now,8221; says Jyotirmoy Daw, President, IKOS India Pvt Ltd. As a matter of fact, 10 years from now, the company sees an Intellectual Property developing in India, especially in areas related to analytical skills and detailed work like design verification.
