Wipro is looking to open software development centres at some US university towns like Austin, Virginia, and Atlanta to tap local talent, chairman Azim Premji said.
MUMBAI: Wipro, India’s third-largest software exporter, is looking to open software development centres at some US university towns like Austin, Virginia, and Atlanta to tap local talent, chairman Azim Premji said.
“We are looking at five university towns and would shortly shortlist three. These towns typically don’t have much local employment opportunities and, hence, would welcome a centre which could employ 500-700 people. We are in discussion with the government,” Premji said, talking to talkshow host Charlie Rose of Bloomberg TV.
Austin is home to the University of Texas, while Virginia and Atlanta have a number or reputed institutes. Wipro has about 8,000 employees in the US. Owing to talent shortage, it logs a higher attrition (or employee turnover) rate in America than India.
The effort to set up bases in varsity towns is aimed at building a strong talent supply pipeline at the institute level itself — a model that has proven itself in India.
“It is also a pre-emptive move against indefinite reliance on visa and over-reliance on hiring laterally. We are looking at a model of building a cadre, like we do in India,” he told Rose.
Premji said going forward, as India gets more sophisticated in its services capabilities, it would vacate the commoditised part of outsourcing pie for countries such as China and move to higher value-added services such as consulting, complex mathematical modelling and building models for predictive forecasting.
Wipro has two centres in China, which it uses to service its global clients, but as of now, is staying clear of the booming Chinese domestic market.
“We wish to make our mark servicing our global customers from China and would take a call on servicing the local market in another two years,” he said.
In contrast, arch rival Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has identified China as a big talent supply source as well as market. TCS has set up a subsidiary in China, in which Microsoft has a strategic minority stake, to tap the domestic demand as well as to service select geographies from here. It has already won a large deal, valued at around $100 million from the Bank of China.
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