Hewlett-Packard establishes an R&D outpost, the first opened under labs director Prith Banerjee, in a key country in the computer maker's fastest-growing region
Two years ago, Hewlett-Packard embarked on an ambitious overhaul of its storied research labs, responsible for some of the most momentous computing innovation of the last 40 years. Now, HP Labs Director Prith Banerjee is turning his attention to HP's half-dozen international labs, aiming to generate cutting-edge development from scientific outposts in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.
During a January meeting of 19 HP research managers, Banerjee urged labs in China, England, India, Israel, and Russia to work more closely with one another, and with HP's product engineering groups, Banerjee says. His goal is to produce more inventions that can be turned into technology that goes on to generate revenue for the company. Signaling its emphasis on international research and development, HP is opening its seventh lab in Singapore on Feb. 24, establishing a research hub in a key country in HP's fastest-growing region. It's the first lab opened under Banerjee, who joined HP in 2007.
Banerjee has asked Singapore lab director Chris Whitney, a longtime HP hand, to work closely with the heads of company labs in Bangalore and Beijing. The Singapore lab will collaborate with HP labs in Bristol, England, and Palo Alto, Calif., on research into cloud computing, as well as with HP's services and software groups. Whitney plans to split his time between Singapore and Palo Alto to stay in touch with developments at HP's headquarters.
Starting in 2008, HP redoubled efforts to get labs to produce more commercially viable work. It has narrowed its focus, pared unpromising projects, and subjected researchers to more stringent productivity measures.