Tirupati : AP can be IP hub
Our focus is on R&D, says SmartDV chairman Deepak Kumar Tala
Tirupati: Analog IPs have a very big market potential of around 5-10 billion dollars. Though SmartDV, which is confident of achieving its target with the present strength of over 3,000 engineers in the next 3-4 years, its chairman Deepak Kumar Tala says he looks beyond and wants to construct more offices in the same or adjacent areas in the near future and have about 10,000 engineers fully focusing on R&D. Deepak Kumar told The Hans India that his vision is to see that SmartDV is the only company with a deep portfolio of IP products having more than 500 products. If the country wants to be self-reliant on semiconductors, local chip manufacturing analog and digital IPs will have to play a big role. SmartDV can fill this gap, he said.
High investment and uncertainty on how it goes into the market are major issues for consideration. Deepak says that they have been receiving tremendous response from the state government which has extended all support and did all the paperwork in an amazingly short time. In fact, the government has very good incentives to offer to IT companies and showed a very friendly and flexible attitude. He said the construction of the unit has already started and is expected to complete in June 2023 and will become operational by July 2023. In the first year, they want to start with 500 engineers. For this, they are focusing on non-engineering graduates and training them to suit their needs and approaching college managements. By January, the company will recruit about 500 people after which practical remote training will be held for them till July. By the time they actually join the company they will be ready to take up the work, he said, adding that they will construct two towers -- the first tower will be for main research and development. The second tower will be used for skill development for both the internal engineering team and to train the youth within 25 km radius of the company.