*NEWS*HP TO OPEN RESEARCH LAB IN RUSSIA

[Anonymous]

HP to open research lab in Russia
HP
is opening a research lab in Russia, a country that some believe could
be technology’s next major outpost.HP’s Russian lab will concentrate
primarily on core IT issues such as data extraction, information
management and utility computing. The country and its university system
are particularly strong in computer science and maths.”We will tap into
the analytic talent that is there,” Shane Robison, an HP executive vice
president and chief strategy and technology officer, said in an
interview. Recruitment efforts are beginning, and the lab will be
located in St Petersburg.Like other tech companies, HP has had a global
presence for years and has operated in Russia as well. But business
outside the US borders is increasing in importance. More than 60
percent of HP’s business now comes from overseas, Robison noted.The new
lab will essentially allow HP to tap into the local talent pool, but
also serve a diplomatic function by letting HP ensconce itself better
into the business and scientific community. HP has opened labs in China
and Bangalore, India, in the last few years. HP has also sponsored
energy conferences in Russia.Scientists in Russia make far less than
their counterparts in Japan, Western Europe or the US. But HP is not
opening the lab to cut costs, Robison said. China and India have shown,
for example, that salaries for talented scientists rise rapidly.To
date, Russia has mostly been a foiled dream for futurists and IT
investors. The country’s large size, wealth in natural resources and
long history of scientific achievement give it many of the ingredients
of a potential boom market. Russians have also been behind companies
such as SeaLaunch, a private rocket launching service, and Yandex, a
search engine.Corruption, political turmoil and intellectual property
issues, however, have hampered the development of a tech industry in
Russia to rival that in China or India. Many investors also complain
about the lack of an entrepreneurial culture there.

[Author]

January 23, 2007 at 10:08 AM