Keen on acquisitions, having own campus and hiring 1,000 engineers

Smart device operating system and platform technology provider Thunder Software Technology Co. Ltd. of China has made a foray into India by establishing an IT development centre in Hyderabad.

A company that counts US chipmaker Qualcomm as an investor and key customer, Thundersoft has hired 25 engineers for the facility. Their numbers are expected to go up to 80-100 by December, Global CEO Larry Geng and Thundersoft India vice-president Sudharani Pillai said on Monday.

In an interaction, after the centre was formally opened by IT Secretary Jayesh Ranjan, they said the company planned to have on board 1,000 engineers in India in the next 3-5 years. While Hyderabad would remain the India headquarters, it was considering setting up software development facilities in Bengaluru and Pune as well. In about two years, the company would also take a decision on having a campus of its own.

Thundersoft was set up 10 years ago and has 20 research and development centres globally, including the Hyderabad facility. The company’s global headcount is 3,400 and in 2017, it had revenues of $200 million.

Seeking to highlight the role India could play in as the company looks to grow its global presence, Mr. Geng estimated Thundersoft to invest $10 million in the country over the next two years. It could be higher if the Beijing-headquartered firm is able to give shape to plans of acquiring firms in India.

In India, the company would be looking at firms developing technologies in its focus areas of smart phones, IoTs and automotive solutions.

The Hyderabad centre, he replied to query, would be an Intelligent software technology development facility and would work closely with Qualcomm.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Special Correspondent / Hyderabad – September 25th, 2018