Chip maker AMD''s chairman and CEO Hector Ruiz inaugurated a new engineering facility today in Bangalore, India''s IT capital. The centre will focus on silicon design and platform research and development.

India's importance in AMD's global R&D network has steadily grown, and so have its employees in Bangalore. The new 52,000 square-foot facility will accommodate the current team as well as new recruits.

AMD''s main rival, Intel, also has a substantial presence in India, and has a large staff in Bangalore. Both AMD and Intel are expected to build a chip manufacturing facility in India sometime in the future to cater to India''s large and rapidly expanding market.

During the inauguration, Dr. Ruiz said, ''Our engineering employees in India play a critical role in AMD's global design network, and this new R&D centre gives them the world-class equipment and resources they need to excel. In AMD's quest to become the technology partner of choice for the industry, this facility is vital to help us design and deliver industry-leading solutions specifically tailored to the needs of our customers in India, and for all our customers worldwide.''

Alok Ohrie, managing director, AMD India, said, ''In a short span of six years of presence in India, AMD has posted market share gains as well as significant contributions to global R&D efforts. AMD India's expansion demonstrates the confidence our corporation has in the delivery capabilities of the India R&D teams.''

Engineering staffs in Bangalore are playing the lead role on ''Shanghai,'' AMD's first 45nm quad-core microprocessor, and are currently involved in design testing and optimisation of the new chip. Prior to their efforts on ''Shanghai,'' teams were responsible for delivering key intellectual property (IP) for the first quad-core AMD Opteron™ microprocessor, previously codenamed ''Barcelona.''

AMD will continue operating its first facility in the city, using the existing office space for administration, sales and marketing staffs.