Government’s Decision to set up Fabrication Unit in India Welcomed: MAIT

  

Manufacturers’ Association for Information Technology (MAIT), the apex body actively representing ICT Manufacturing, Training, IT, Design, R&D and associated services sector welcomed the cabinet’s decision of setting up of two semiconductor manufacturing facilities in India.

Commenting on this much needed approval, Amar Babu, President, MAIT said, “Considering the fact that more than 65 per cent of current demand for electronic products in India is met by imports, the recent policy initiatives of the government to set up fab manufacturing and semi-conductor units will transform the Indian electronics manufacturing sector and create opportunities for Electronic Design and Manufacturing (ESDM). It will cater to the domestic demand for hardware manufacturing and also act as an export hub. We at MAIT, hope that the consortiums chosen to set up fabrication units complete the projects in time. This development would also have a positive impact on our economy and generate employment besides sending right signals to the investors.”

The Cabinet has approved setting up of two semiconductor units entailing investments of Rs. 51,550 crore and will now prepare a detailed project report and has announced to issue a letter of intent to the participants.

Applauding this decision, Anwar Shirpurwala, Executive Director, MAIT, said, “India will play a vital role in facilitating the growth of electronics and semiconductor ecosystem. Recent approval given by the government to set up two semiconductor units with an investment of Rs 51,550 crore gains traction. This would begin an era in India to build technological capabilities, promote innovation and enhance manufacturing capabilities in India. Many members of MAIT have already set up manufacturing facilities and look for local source for the semiconductor ecosystem.”

InMobi Only Second To Facebook In Mobile Advertising

InMobi, the world’s largest independent mobile advertising company, has recently announced its network growth numbers for the period ending December 31, 2013. InMobi now reaches 759 million active users per month through their mobile devices, providing advertisers with the largest global reach, after Facebook. These 759 million anonymous profiles on the InMobi network span 165 countries, bringing a truly global audience to advertisers.

“According to IDC, smartphone shipments are expected to pass one billion for the first time in 2014. Mobile has become the foundation of peoples’ lives, it is now the preferred media platform—overtaking even TV—it is how people obtain necessary information for everyday life,” said Naveen Tewari, CEO, InMobi. “With this growing reliance on mobile devices, naturally, advertising budgets are following consumers. Five years ago, a brand that included mobile advertising in its portfolio was ahead of the curve. Today, if you’re not advertising on mobile, you risk losing an entire generation of consumers.”

Tewari continued, “Our platform processes 240 TB of data per day to make the best possible decisions to deliver the most relevant content to the user. Reaching consumers via mobile has become common, but providing the best user experience, including engaging ad formats, precise targeting, and delivering consistently relevant messaging, relies on the intelligent processing of big data and continued innovation.”

Key InMobi Network Statistics:

* InMobi receives over four billion ad requests per day;

* 9.2 billion events ingested per day;

* The InMobi platform processes 240 TB of data per day to deliver the most relevant advertising content to consumers;

* 5 TB of new data generated daily; and,

* Truly global reach of 759 million active monthly users, across 165 countries.

Microsoft Announces Summer Batch 2014 Of Its Accelerator Program

Microsoft Ventures in India has announced the final list of technology startups that will constitute the 2014 summer batch at the Microsoft Ventures Accelerator Program in India. The 16 startups are Appointy, App Virality, Bookpad, Boutline, Imly, InstaSafe, IntouchApp, Metaome, Sliderule, Voonik, MyBusTickets.in, Praxify, Thinxtream, Touchfone, ZingHR and Zoom. Six of these companies, namely MyBusTickets.in, Praxify, Thinxstream, Touchfone, ZingHR and Zoom, will constitute the newly launched Accelerator Plus Program, which is tailor made for startups that have customer traction and know their market fairly well, whose needs are vastly different from early stage companies.

Welcoming the fourth batch, Ravi Narayan, Director Microsoft Ventures, said, “The good thing about this batch is that most of these companies already have a certain amount of customer traction and the Accelerator Program is well positioned to step in and help them move ahead faster than they would have otherwise. We saw a lot of great applications this time around, which means the startup ecosystem is evolving rapidly. “

Explaining the rationale behind the Accelerator Plus Program, Narayan said: “This program is for more mature companies which are closer to VC funding.  Most of them have made significant progress, so much so that the startup ecosystem is taking their eyes off them. But we at Microsoft Ventures feel this is the time they need the most help, when from an investor standpoint they are getting ready to graduate into the mainstream. Microsoft Ventures is uniquely positioned with resources to help these companies to roll out products and raise serious capital to fund their growth.”

Microsoft Ventures in India partners with industry bodies to support the startup community and widen its reach. Four startups from the latest batch– Bookpad, Praxify, Imly and Boutline - were selected at events organized by one of our industry partners, NASSCOM.

The other participants in the batch came through applications received over two months. All applicants went through a rigorous selection process, culminating in face-to-face presentations to a panel of judges.

Bharati Jacob, Founder-Partner at Seedfund, who was on the panel, said: “It was a great mix of startups – some solving local problems which had global sized opportunities while others were global in nature. Most of the startups came up with original ideas, i.e. they weren’t “copy+paste” of an overseas idea. All teams came with tremendous energy and passion for their idea, which bodes well for the Indian ecosystem.”

Microsoft Ventures in India has graduated 35 startups since August 2012. About 80 per cent of these are funded and two graduates, Adepto and Plustxt, have been acquired.

Vijay Anand, founder, The Startup Centre, said: “Microsoft Ventures is steadily emerging as a key player in the Indian startup ecosystem – working closely by pooling its resources with other accelerators, incubators and other industry bodies with the goal to help startups. The Microsoft Ventures Accelerator Program gives us great insight into young and high potential teams that are building products; raring to go compete in the global marketplace."

SAP HANA Platform To Power KKR Decision Making @ IPL 7 Auction

SAP Labs India and The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) has announced that the SAP HANA platform had been selected to develop an unprecedented statistical analysis tool that would assist KKR management during the auction happening in Bangalore on February 12, 2014. The real-time application, named SAP Auction Analytics will enable KKR to evaluate players based on multiple dimensions.

Developed using the principles of Design Thinking, SAP Auction Analytics leverages the predictive analytics capabilities of SAP HANA enabling KKR derive intelligence on the players to be featured in the auction. The platform provides significant insights based on various aspects of the players and a live dashboard of the performance of other teams during the bidding process. SAP Auction Analytics, capable of running on multiple devices, is custom developed for KKR. However its features are extensible and can be used by other teams.

“We constantly explore new ways and technologies to provide our players and management with the best set of tools to compete,” said Venky Mysore, MD and CEO, KKR. “SAP as a leader in providing innovative software solutions is an ideal partner to equip us with technology that can aid in effective decision making during the auction.”

“SAP is driving innovation in the sports and entertainment industry and is honored to partner with the Kolkata Knight Riders, one of the country’s premier cricketing franchises” said Anirban Dey, Managing Director, SAP Labs India. “SAP Auction Analytics will deliver significant competitive edge to KKR via real-time actionable insights that can make decision-making more efficient.”

Globally, a growing number of sports leagues, teams, and stadiums work with SAP to develop integrated business management solutions that help them run their businesses. The SAP for Sports & Entertainment solution portfolio helps the industry run better, from fans to athletes to teams and leagues.

Tally Institute To Bridge Education & Employability Gap

Tally Education Private Limited (TEPL) has announced the launch of Tally Institute of Learning, an education initiative that is envisioned to transform the vocational training landscape of the country. This franchise initiative of TEPL will commence from Feb 9, 2014 and student training will commence from April 1, 2014.

Tally’s education services are designed to empower the current and next generation of employees to contribute in greater measure to their work, even while finding personal success. The program offers a bouquet of courses for a student to choose from – ranging from 1-6 months – at the end of which the student is awarded with a verifiable certificate of course completion.

As part of the initiative, high quality training and placement centres will be set up across India in the name of Tally Institute of Learning (TIL). TIL is envisioned to deliver industry endorsed course content, scientifically designed teaching methodology, online assessment, certification and unmatched quality of placement assistance. Tally Education will also give online assistance to the students, franchisees and employers through their specialized job and student portal.

Commenting on the occasion, Tejas Goenka, Executive Director, Tally Solutions said; “At Tally we have focused on creating software products and services to propel the growth of millions of businesses across the country. In our journey we have realized there is a burning need across many small and medium businesses in the country to be able to continuously find trained and equipped individuals who can work with them to help drive their growth.”

Sony Bids Sayonara To Its Computer Business

Sony is shuttering its computer business, refocusing its TV division on high-end units and laying off 5,000 people. It is also predicting a massive loss of 110 billion yen, or $1.1 billion, for the fiscal year, a drastic change from its prediction three months ago of a 30-billion yen profit ($294 million).

There was a time, long ago, when it looked as if Japanese electronics companies -- and foremost among them Sony -- would take over the world. But no longer. Apple and Samsung dominate the consumer market for tablets and smartphones, and Sony is now being forced to undergo costly restructuring to survive.

Sony's TV business has long been a loser. It has cost the electronics giant $7.8 billion over the past decade, according to Reuters. Sony plans to spin it off into a subsidiary company by July of this year, hoping to streamline processes and return it to profitability by the end of the fiscal year ending March 31, 2015.

To some observers, this move could look like preparation for disposing of the TV division altogether. But Sony chief Kazuo Hirai told reporters in Tokyo that "we have absolutely no plan" to sell off the TV business, according to Reuters. The way forward, Hirai thinks, lies in high-end models, especially ultra-high-definition 4K TVs, which have yet to go mainstream.

Sony will be posting a net loss for the fifth time in six years. As part of restructuring, the Japanese electronics maker will let go more than 3 percent of its global work force by March 2015. The company expects the layoffs to save 100 billion yen, or $1 billion, in annual costs. As of September 2013, Sony had 145,800 employees.

Sony's computer business is also a goner. After spring 2014, when its final lineup of personal computers will launch, Sony will stop manufacturing and selling computers. Its PC business will be sold to Japan Industrial Partners, an investment fund, and about 250 to 300 Sony employees will move to the new company which the fund will set up to manage the PC business.

Even Sony's successes are somewhat muted. Its Playstation 4 gaming console is on pace to beat sales expectations of 5 million units by the end of March. But this latest iteration of the popular Playstation was so expensive to develop that it will take two years to break even on the console, Sony said.

One Sony division is performing admirably, however. The financial services unit did so well in the fiscal quarter from October to December 2013 that Sony managed to post an operating profit of more than 90 billion yen, nearly twice the previous year's amount.

Source: Agencies

Satya Nadella An Inspiration Among South Asians

Satya Nadella born Nadella Satya Narayana is the Chief Executive Officer of Microsoft. He was appointed CEO on February 4, 2014, succeeding Steve Ballmer. But it also marked the ascension of an Indian-born executive to the top of a global powerhouse—a milestone marked by people of Indian descent worldwide. Fantastic news about Satya Nadella - Microsoft, Pepsi, Citibank all headed by people of Indian origin. Should motivate all South Asians!

Previously, he was executive vice president of Microsoft’s Cloud and Enterprise group, responsible for building and running the company’s computing platforms, developer tools and cloud services.

Nadella worked as the senior vice president of R&D for the Online Services Division and vice president of the Microsoft Business Division. Later, he was made the president of Microsoft’s $19 billion Server and Tools Business and led a transformation of the company's business and technology culture from client services to cloud infrastructure and services. He has been credited for helping bring Microsoft's database, Windows Server and developer tools to its Azure cloud. 

The revenue from Cloud Services grew to $20.3 billion in June 2013 from $16.6 billion when he took over in 2011. Satya Nadella played major role in Microsoft's transition to the cloud.

On February 4, 2014, Nadella was announced as the new CEO of Microsoft. He is the third chief executive in the company's history. Immediately after announcement, Nadella said that his priority would be leading Microsoft in Mobile and Cloud domains.