MindTree sets up 64-bit centre

MindTree Consulting, a IT and R&D services company, has announced that it has set up a 64-bit Computing Competency Centre to provide migration services to both enterprise class and PC-based application builders. 'CodeMigrate', an IP-based tool developed at the centre, will enable application builders to speed up migration from 32-bit to 64-bit computing.

The Competency Centre provides 64-bit porting services to vendors of computing, networking, storage equipment, high-end consumer appliances as well as the PC-based gaming industry. Enterprise class applications such as Online Transaction Processing (OLTP) that run on large databases (in the BFSI segment), applications-based on graphics and heavy computing are presently witnessing a surge in migration to 64-bit computing.

According to a company release, the Centre has already commenced work with two customers, and expects the demand for porting services to balloon with the advent of Windows Vista that will bring 64-bit computing to PCs.

"We anticipated the trend to migrate to 64-bit computing 18 months ahead, and started work on this almost a year ago. Today, we find that application builders are increasingly facing the pressure to move their 32-bit applications to fully leverage the processing power of a 64-bit infrastructure", said Janakiraman, president and CEO, R&D Services, MindTree Consulting.

"Today's 32-bit applications run on millions of lines of code - and migration to 64-bit means one needs to identify those lines that need to be changed. To do this manually is not only time-consuming, but is vulnerable to human error. CodeMigrate automatically identifies these lines of code, and recommends the change. With a tool like this, we ensure predictability, zero error and quality in our porting services," he added.

MindTree's 64-bit Computing Competency Centre will currently focus on porting services for applications on Linux and Windows operating systems. However, during the course of the year, the Centre will develop expertise in additional operating systems such as AIX, HPUX and Solaris.

The centre can serve its customers on user-level as well as kernel-level software, in various languages.

The Centre is currently working on a range of processors including the PowerPC and x86-64, and brings in experience at all levels of a system including processors, board, operating system, middleware and applications. The centre presently has 15 people and is looking at increasing that number to 45-50 by the end of this year.