Consumer Electronics in India: Are We Ready to Blend Ourselves with the Change?





Consumer Electronics in India: Are We Ready to Blend Ourselves with the Change? Date: Thursday , January 03, 2013 The last decade has given the world some of the most innovative products, right from the tablets to devices which can count your steps and calories being burnt in the process. Consumer Electronics companies like Samsung, Amazon, Lark, Clipget have given simple gadgets & products that have disruptively changed the way humans exist. The applications of such gadgets are immense and widely used. Sensing the growth in the semiconductor industry and the opportunities in India, SiliconIndia with Mentor Graphics lined up a group of distinguished speakers to share their perspectives and visions on emerging technologies in the coming decade. The event also honoured 11 leaders of tomorrow within the Embedded/ VLSI industry. "The awards that we have instituted with mentor graphics is one more step in our endeavor to strengthen the the ecosystem. We have expanded and acknowledged contribution of individuals and companies in 11 different categories," says Pradeep Shankar, CEO, siliconindia. The speakers discussed “Disruptive Changes in Consumer Electronics in Indian Context" concluding that new opportunities will keep on unfolding forever in the consumer electronics' space. In the recent times; Consumer Electronic companies have taken user experience seriously and differentiated the products according to their needs which has made this industry the leader, believes Krishna Moorthy. K, MD of Rambus Chip Technologies. The growing middle class consumer ways are also affecting the development in this sector. In this industry be it in networking & computer or manufacturing, there has been a lot of functional convergence which is transcending to the next level. This phase will see a lot of medical devices integrated to real gadgets. According to G.H Rao, SVP, HCL Technologies, the same devices would have the pervasiveness and other aspects of the needs & necessities both in terms of functionality and technology which is required for functional integration. India has the largest market for Consumer Electronics in the world, at least in numbers if not in dollars, so it is not an impediment, it is an opportunity. Therefore there is a good chance to take advantage of the local market in order to test and try out ideas that would then be used as export products around the world. There is a lot of VLSI knowledge in India with technical & management capabilities increasing at a functional rate. We see ample innovation along with a lot of manufacturing in fields other than chip manufacturing, says Dr. Madhusudan Atre, Country Head of AMD India. But one major problem in our country is the lack of a platform that is certified in terms of the credibility as a good place to design software. Many Indian engineers are talented and also have innovative ideas but they lack the adequate training. We are also lagging behind in number of patents which are very important for product industry. Several Indians who took risks, left comfortable positions and become very successful. "India's rich base of electronic design talent is driving the country to a strong position of leadership in electronic innovation. Combining this with an entrepreneurial spirit to form and grow successful enterprises is making India an exciting place for the electronic information future," says Walden C. Rhines, CEO and Chairman, Mentor Graphics. Opportunities will last but steps must be taken to encourage people to step up. The government and the industry must work with the available opportunities we have in the ecosystem. The government is showing some support by talking in favor of the ESDM (Electronics Systems Design & Manufacturing). We require high technology parks and boundaries in the country. It has also brought about electronic policy and a lot of semiconductor policies with a vision to add value in verticals like medical, health, energy, automotive, industrial and electronics. In a nutshell, there are opportunities galore but they must be privileged very quickly, before the window closes. We have successfully done the most important task of bringing the product mentality. Dr. Anurag Srivastava, CTO of Wipro appeals the people in the industry to think like a product owner, like a product manager. He says that we must believe that they are responsible for an exceptional product. If they don’t act, they are going to miss the bus.