Microsoft plans 30 new innovation centres globally

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Microsoft said on Tuesday it would set up 30 new innovation centres around the world, adding to its existing 60, in partnership with local governments, academic institutions and industry organisations.

It gave no details, but officials from the world's largest software maker said the centres would be set up within a year.

One would be functional in January in Bangalore, India's technology hub, where Microsoft already has a large presence, officials told reporters in New Delhi, where chairman Bill Gates started a four-day visit to Asia's third-largest economy.

Like many multinational technology companies, Microsoft looks to India's booming US$17-billion software services industry for access to skills at costs far below average Western salaries.

"India as a geographical location is an important market for us," said Peter Moore, managing director for Microsoft's public sector initiative in the Asia-Pacific region.

"For the past few years, the focus has been on outsourcing, but we believe there is a case for domestic demand to rise."

Moore declined to say how much Indian sales contributed to Microsoft's global revenue, but said the country, where piracy rates are high, remained an important market.

"We should think of India in the long term and strategically," he added.