India’s Competitive Advantages in Designs

India has a wide spectrum of competencies available on talent be it analog designs, software, silicon design, verification and validation, tools or other infrastructure for design. A combined availability of this expertise co-located on a region allows seamless learning from other competencies which look apparently orthogonal. India enjoys an advantage of technology diversity.

There are several ways in which we can look at innovation. One can look at the number of patents acquired or even the simplicity with which a complex problem is solved. India is making significant progress on the innovation vector. Innovation is a key differentiator for business and we see a lot of that coming from India for our operations.

Texas Instruments (TI) came to India 25 years back and started its Bangalore operations. Today, the company has 14 offices across 12 cities in India. We continue to be excited with the quality of talent available in India. With the kind of focus and growth Indian educational system has on subjects like science, mathematics and engineering, we see this as a continuing differentiator.

Today, the first pass success of silicon and software is something that is expected as a norm by customers. Time to market is a key differentiator in several markets and the cost of mistake for devices can be catastrophic. Semiconductor companies like Texas Instruments are focusing on the quality of execution, demonstrated by repeated first pass success which can be key differentiators.

Indian economy is steadily growing and we can clearly see the impact of this growth on various sectors like energy, medical, industrial, communications, consumer devices and automotive. All of these segments are key sectors where solutions in analog and embedded processing offered by companies like TI play a very critical role. Operating in these economic growths and having an early access and position in this market is a key advantage for any organization. Interestingly compared to the last decade, we see a significant number of customers creating products for the local market. This is a very encouraging trend. When there is design being developed exclusively for the Indian market, one needs to think of designs that are targeted at the bottom of the pyramid. This can go a long way in helping designers emerge with cost-efficient solutions for the local market.

India has and will continue to have demographic advantage because of its young population. This has a very positive impact on the kind of products that are designed and consumed in India. The presence of local support enables a closer and better relationship with customers.

Affordable solutions are not necessarily low on features or quality. Instead they initiate the creation of products at occasional extreme operating conditions. We have noticed that customers are creating products that are not just affordable for a broad market like India, but are rich on features and rugged on quality. The opportunities that are available combined with the challenges involved help us get the best of creativity from designers. If we are able to win in these markets, such products can be extremely successful in other markets as well. So this can really be the action place to win.

Texas Instruments India is very excited with what is happening in India over the last decade. Our roadmap products lie at the centre stage of the evolutionary growth of the India market. Be it embedded processing, green energy, low power or non conventional energy applications, TI has products that can be readily deployed by customers.

TI has very successful partnership program (also known as the Third Party Program) in India that identifies and works with TI partner companies operating in India. This collaboration is a step ahead to leverage the strengths and come up with the right solutions for customers.

The electronics industry also depends on colleges and Universities that offer degree programs for hiring students who have proven their caliber through excellent academic performance and through extra-curricular activities. Colleges and Universities are the centers for long-term research and innovation. These centers are also the training ground for future engineers and decision makers. Texas Instruments has a University program which aims to strengthen the ties between Indian Universities and TI India. The programs include funding research and development in colleges, help establishing labs in colleges, assist in conducting workshops at colleges, extend support in teaching and curriculum development, and train-the-trainer initiatives. We also bring out a periodical called “UniTI” on a quarterly basis to communicate with the Universities. We also have an internship program for students and faculty. We conduct several contests for college students on an annual basis to promote excellence in R&D. For the first time, Texas Instruments has initiated the Analog Design Contest in India and we are excited about this contest – we feel that this will give a boost to student projects in the area of system design using TI analog products such as A/D converters, D/A converters, signal conditioning circuits, interface circuits, power management ICs, microcontrollers, DSP, etc.

TI recognises the potential that lies in India with regard to its talent pool. The contribution made by Indian designers has been recognised worldwide. There is much focus on the progress in the innovation vector. Some of the industry’s best solutions for low power computing, entertainment systems, consumer electronics products have and continue to be created here around various aspects of hardware, software and the firmware that is used on the boards. There is an increasing number of products that are being designed keeping the India market in mind like low power micro controllers. Some of the leading video devices, DSP chips and microcontrollers are architected, designed and developed here. The biggest satisfaction comes when we are able to touch lives of common man in India using technology.

The quantitative and qualitative expectations of customers are increasing with time. We need more engineers who can learn and teach on other domains and eventually become system engineers. For example, we need more analog engineers who can appreciate digital design, power engineers who appreciate analog design, software engineers who can think hardware and hardware engineers who find solutions on the software side.

Right across the globe, everyone is watching India becoming a rich source of innovation and technology. It is, indeed, a unique place with its own culture and with a unique set of technological needs. And today, it is playing a key role in delivering next-generation IT solutions.