HP announces India Research Operation

Cyber News Service


New Delhi

Hewlett-Packard Company (HP) has announced the creation of an India Research Operation (IRO), at the HP India Software Operations in Bangalore. Part of the HP Labs, with a charter to innovate for developing new economies, the IRO will focus on the confluence of social, cultural, economic and technological drivers to generate relevant solutions to benefit the poor in the developing world. The IRO will feed into and augment the recently announced HP World e-inclusion Program.

HP's e-Inclusion Program is a new strategy to broaden access to the social and economic opportunities in the digital age. The new strategy extends HP's business focus to traditionally "excluded" markets, with an emphasis on sustainable business ventures that improve the livelihoods of the roughly four billion people who have low incomes in Africa, Asia, Central and Eastern Europe and Latin America.

Currently, technology innovation is focused on the wealthy markets in the developed economies, and the same technologies, with minimal modifications, are sold throughout the rest-of-the world. "The IRO will concentrate on the bottom rung of the pyramid. It will focus on the unique and basic needs of the people. It will work to adopt or deveelop technology, solutions an products that touch the lives of the people at the grass-root, in the villages," informed Subrahmanyam Vempati, Director, India Software Operation. "At the IRO, our focus will be on technology for people, not technoology for businesses. We will work with a broad range of local and global partners to help bridge the digital-divide," he added