European Research Institute IMEC Opens R&D Center in India

In partnership with IT consulting and outsourcing firm Wipro Technologies (News - Alert), Leuven, Belgium based European research institute IMEC has opened a research and development facility in Bangalore, India. Together, the partners intend to bring nanoelectronics solutions to emerging markets.

The signing of the R&D partnership with Wipro is IMEC’s first step towards the Indian market. IMEC is a leading independent applied research organization that carries out research activities in semiconductor, nanotechnology and nanoelectronics, delivering industry relevant technology solutions.

According to Wipro, IMEC and Wipro have created a joint initiative to co-innovate and build next generation intelligent systems, called Applied Research in Intelligent Systems Engineering (ARISE). By bringing together an experienced team of system designers, user designers, process, software and system architects, this initiative aims to develop nanoelectronics and nano electro-mechanical-systems (NEMS) based solutions for emerging markets like India.

The joint initiative will initially focus on developing intelligent systems based on next generation sensors, wireless and energy harvesting technologies for key industry verticals. The core team for the joint center being set up in Bangalore will draw specialist teams from Wipro and IMEC, with additional hiring from global talent pools across industry and academia.

The R&D center in India will leverage IMEC’s heterogeneous semiconductor process integration platform - CMORE - that offers design, prototyping and low-volume production of systems-on-chip that can combine logic with mechanical, chemical or optical functions.

"Our partnership with Wipro underlines our commitment towards providing solutions for emerging markets;" said Luc Van den hove, president and CEO, IMEC, in a statement. He added, "I'm confident that Wipro's product engineering expertise, industry vertical presence and understanding of the emerging markets will augment our research capability to develop cost-efficient products for many new markets including India."

Likewise, commented T K Kurien, CEO, IT business and executive director, Wipro, "This Wipro-IMEC initiative 'ARISE' will act as a bridge between industry, academia and research labs to bring in a combination of applied research, system and business design and product engineering capabilities under one roof to deliver highly affordable and sustainable solutions for emerging markets."