Electronic Design Automation (EDA) has become an indispensable element in the design of modern electronics and Cadence Design Systems is one of the leaders in this space. Himanshu Singh, acting country manager spoke to Sneha Paul on the future of the industry in India

Why is the growth of electronic design so important?
Any top-notch organisation seeking to make a mark on the global scene has to focus on electronic design. Through ED, one can create a knowledge base and domain competency. Further, a stress on ED can help create a product oriented IT industry and also utilise effectively trained and experienced ASIC/VLSI professionals in the country.

What are the opportunities available in the electronic design automation field?
I would say there are three main opportunity areas. The first is in the field of system-on-chip components. The second is in the area of design, where the country has the potential to emerge as a design house for product companies in terms of product development, production, maintenance and sustenance. We also have the capacity to develop our own products. We can expand the current design centre model for multinationals, build on focus areas and work closely with academia to build world class products. We need to make long term investments and long term gains and never forget that innovation is the key to success.

What is your strategy for the Indian market?
We believe that if a company has to be successful, it has to address the local market segment. Furthermore, it has to utilise local talent. For both these reasons, we participated in a program conducted by the Ministry of Information and Technology in which they selected 19 institutes to ensure that the tools created by us reach the entire country. These initiatives were undertaken in the year 2000.

To further enhance the visibility of the concept, we conducted events like the Electronic Design Forum, which gave the industry a platform which it used to speak about the macro issues concerning electronic design in the country. As part of our efforts to serve our customers more efficiently we also started an India Response Centre in Bangalore. This way our customers can send in their queries through e-mail or phone and our systems engineers can help them find a solution to their problem. If the need arises, they can even visit the client. The other program we organised was Cadence Connect, wherein students from across the country attended our training programs at Bangalore.