Wind River eyes automotive electronics space

Wind River, which specialises in device software optimisation, is looking at the Indian automotive electronics market for growth as car sales continue to increase in the country.

The $285 million company, in association with various partners, has developed a touch-screen in-car device, which integrates entertainment, navigation, internet and telephone facilities. The product has already been deployed by a top luxury car brand in Europe. The company is working on multiple variants of the same device for the Indian automotive market in association with a partner.

"When we introduced the product, the response from the global automotive industry was tremendous. It has also attracted the attention of tier i suppliers to the Indian automotive market. High-end and luxury cars in India could sport some of these devices," Wind River Country Manager Venkatesh Kumaran, told Business Standard.

Though in-car entertainment and navigational devices are deployed in the luxury cars worldwide, according to Kumaran, it is for the first time that they have been integrated on a common platform. "Besides, we went a step ahead to introduce speech recognition software for these functions," he said.

He pointed out that India was emerging as one of the fastest-growing markets for automobiles. "At present, the automotive electronics market in India is opening up. We expect growth from the region," he added.

For Wind River, automotive electronics contribute 15 per cent to the total revenue. The top contributor is network infrastructure (33 per cent), followed by aerospace and defence (30 per cent) and consumer electronics (22 per cent). While the Americas account for 55 per cent of the revenue, Asia Pacific and Japan generate 27 per cent with Europe and West Asia accounting for the rest.

According to Kumaran, consumer electronics too is emerging strong in India. "We are present in India through various global products. We expect the growth momentum to continue," he said.

The US-based Wind River, which employs 1,300 people, has three development centres worldwide, including one in Bangalore. Though the Indian development centre is small, the company expects more work in the coming days.