Microsoft to hire hundreds at Hyderabad campus

"We don't go behind adding buildings first but go behind quality professionals to enable them to realise the real potential in Microsoft worldwide," said Steve Ballmer, chief executive officer of Microsoft Corporation."

India possesses the incredible, brilliant and skilled engineering workforce across the spectrum and it is a great opportunity for a company like Microsoft to have a great centre at Hyderabad," said Mr Ballmer, who was here on Monday for the inauguration of Microsoft's 28-acre campus.

Addressing a huge gathering after inaugurating the first phase of the campus along with the AP chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy, Mr Ballmer said: "We are committed to growing in India in general and Hyderabad in particular. As the world's fastest growing IT market, India has long been a strategically important region for Microsoft."

India is a key to the company's mission of enabling people, governments, businesses and communities to realise the full potential, he added. The CEO also laid the foundation stone for the second phase of the campus.

Microsoft prefers high-level engineering skills and the creative working capabilities in India. The products being developed is for the worldwide markets. "Come and join us to realise the great potential and work together to create a great company," Mr Ballmer invited.

To a question, Mr Ballmer said that the company will recruit hundreds of professionals in the next 12 months to make the campus play an important role in contributing to innovation at Microsoft. "The inauguration of the new campus here shows our commitment to deepening the relationship with India and partnering with Indian governments and developer communities to create new opportunities for customers and for the industry," he said further.

On investments, Mr Ballmer said that this is part of the $400 million investment plans for India announced by Microsoft founder Bill Gates in 2002 when he visited India. "We continue to invest and grow in India as well as Redmond," he added.

The campus continues to engage in developing and providing support services in the areas of Windows (next version), Office, MSN, search engine and many other products. In addition to that, the Hyderabad centre will also help in localising the language to take its products to the rural masses. "Currently, the company is involved in localising the services in 16 different Indian languages," Mr Ballmer said.

Meanwhile, after inaugurating the campus Dr Reddy said that the Congress government will create 400 acres of IT infrastructure in just one year as against the previous government's eight years. "We will create an IT infrastructure of 400 acres of land in just 12 months as against previous government's eight years and the state is committed to taking up the IT in a major way," Dr Reddy said.