Shanghai will gear up the research and development for advanced, high-grade software by attracting more world-leading companies to build their software R&D centers, said Vice-Mayor Yan Junqi while announcing the opening of the new Hewlett-Packard China Software Solution Center on Wednesday.
Yan added that HP has told the municipality that it will aid in the growth of the software industry in the city through bringing in first-class professionals from all over the world.
Dave Miller, the North Asia Region manager of HP's E-Solutions division, said: "The centre is HP's fourth software R&D center around the world and its first in the North Asia region."
Apart from the investment in the 3,200 square-meter office in the Pudong Jinqiao Area and cutting-edge equipment, the center's investment in Shanghai will mainly be in top-notch software professionals.
At present, the center has recruited some 50 highly trained people.
According to HP's five-year business plan, it will hire over 2,000 professionals for the center.
He added that the intellectual investment will also include technology transfer from the software solution centre in India to the centre here and the further training of talented local staff in other HP facilities worldwide.
Meanwhile, the centre here will develop, from the very beginning, new software strictly in line with Capability Maturity Model (CMM), the top-level software approval rating recognized worldwide.
"We hope the software developed by local professionals with the aid of HP professionals from outside China will reach the CMM5 rating level, the highest level of approval, in the near future," said K Y Chan, general manager of the new HP China Software Solution Center.
(China Daily May 16, 2002)
