The Indian arm of the Adobe Systems Inc has just launched the latest version of Premiere Element, a made-in-India video editing software package, and is all set to scale up its headcount to 1,000 engineers this year. He talks to Priyanka Joshi about his plans for Adobe India.

Adobe's belief in India-developed software products has become a cyclical reality, hasn't it?
Yes, it has. Adobe India's research centre made its debut in 2001 with the launch of Pagemaker 7.0, a publishing software that was developed completely by Indian engineers, and within three months, it was followed by the launch of Acrobat Reader (for handheld devices). These homegrown products were released in international markets. Over time, we have launched Frame Maker, RoboHelp, PostScript, Acrobat Reader on Linux, Photoshop Album and Premiere Elements (versions 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0) - all developed indigenously.

How much of Adobe Inc's R&D happens in India?
The India operations form 12 per cent of Adobe's global employee strength and 25 per cent of the global engineering strength. We have almost more than 45 software patents from India and another 15 are in the pipeline. The current employee strength of Adobe India stands at 850 people and will reach 1,000 by year-end. Our R&D presence includes campuses in Noida and Bangalore, and we look to continue doubling headcount every 18-24 months.

Is cost saving the sole reason for product development in India? What would be your investments this year?
Not at all, cost can only be an enabler but not the sole reason for development. We began with $3 million investments in R&D in 1997, and we will be investing close to $200 million in India in the next five years, overall.

Do you see Adobe India research centre's contribution escalating?
Why not? We have a faster execution time and higher rate of innovation in India. We have a team that has relevant experience in delivering products, and that's a good enough reason to build some great Adobe products. A typical R&D centre of any MNC boasts of only low-end testing and partial feature developments. How many companies have really contributed in building India's intellectual capital globally? Adobe India has broken the mould.

What next for Adobe India?
The global business unit of print and classic publishing being shifted to India, the only Adobe business unit to be based outside the US, is a great step in itself. Premiere Element 3.0 is a prime example of Adobe India's maturity in developing products. A few weeks back, we launched Captivate that helps create interactive simulations and demos in flash format - to help consumers communicate, train and educate better. We plan to speed up development.

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