Oracle launches embedded biz unit

By agencies   |   Wednesday, 22 February 2006, 20:30 IST
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NEW DELHI: Enterprise software maker Oracle has launched an Embedded Business Unit (EBU) for Asia-Pacific and Japan in a bid to penetrate the embedded systems market in this region, which includes India. In order to drive development and testing of its embedded systems, the company plans to launch innovation labs in India along with in China, Japan, Korea, and Singapore. These innovation labs will enjoy close development links with Oracle R&D centers in the U.S., and will reside in existing Oracle development centers in these countries. The Oracle EBU plans to establish licensing agreements with Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) and Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), allowing them to integrate Oracle software directly into end-user devices such as handsets, home appliances and automobiles. Talking to media persons, Oracle’s Vice-President, Embedded Business Unit, Asia Pacific & Japan, Mark Barton said, “This is the natural step for us to move beyond the enterprise systems where we've traditionally been, and make a serious move into data management for consumer devices. Real-life applications of embedded systems are infinite, and range from the practical today to the more futuristic. What they all have in common now is their advanced intelligence. Embedded systems are becoming much more data-rich, capturing, storing, analyzing, and sending information to enable innovative device functions.” Oracle, Intel, and major Linux partners last year created the industry's first embedded system for network equipment manufacturers. The embedded systems industry last year generated $25 billion worldwide. In China, the embedded software industry racked up $900 million, up 149 percent on year-on-year (YoY) and accounting for 31.1 percent of the total sales revenue in China's software industry in 2004. Indian exports of embedded systems and software touched $1.6 billion in 2003-04, a jump of 44 percent over the previous year.