THE VOLE HAS DECIDED to splash out $280 million on an R &D facility in mainland China, which will be the company’s biggest outside the US, to date.

Mighty-Soft purportedly wants to bring the number of full time Volish boffins to 3000 by 2010, adding to the current 1500 project based researchers already working in China.

The new research and development centre will be situated in Beijing's high-tech region of Zhongguancun, and according to Chinese news agency Xinhua, will encompass 101,000 square meters, enough space to eventually accommodate About 5,000 employees.

Zhang Yaqin, the Vole's mainland China chairman noted that "through investments such as this, we are building on our capabilities as one of Microsoft's key global R&D centers".

China is a fast growing market for Microsoft who’s founder and chairman, Bill Gates, had decided to build the new research center when he realised that overseas revenues had topped 60 per cent of the Vole’s total revenues in 2006, according to Yaqin

Analysts reckon that the fact the Vole is shelling out for such a big R& D facility in China, shows just how much confidence they have in the country’s developing software market.

Zhongguancun, where the research centre will be located has already been dubbed Beijing's "Silicon Valley," and was already approved as China’s first national level high-tech industrial development zone by the Communist government back in 1988.

There are already thousands of high tech companies, hundreds of scientific institutes and some 40 universities scattered around the area, so the Vole will find itself in good company. µ

L’Inq
Xinhua