The Hindu Business Line : Cognizant on big expansion spree in Chennai

Mr Lakshmi Narayanan (right), President and CEO, Cognizant Technology Solutions, and Mr R. Rajagopalan; Vice-President, Finance and Administration, looking at the miniature model of the proposed techno-complex and training centre in Chennai on Monday. - - Shaju John

Chennai , March 28

COGNIZANT Technology Solutions, the US-based information technology solutions provider, is expanding its infrastructure in Chennai and plans to set up a development centre in Coimbatore.

It will spend $25.4 million (Rs 115 crore) in its Chennai construction programme, according to Mr Lakshmi Narayanan, President and CEO.

Cognizant has acquired 30 acres of land at Siruseri, about 25 km south of Chennai on the Old Mahabalipuram Road (the IT corridor), to construct a techno-complex with a built-up space of 2-lakh sq. ft.

The centre can accommodate about 2,000 professionals. It is also constructing Cognizant Academy, a one-lakh sq ft facility with 75 classrooms to train about 1,800 professionals, he told newspersons.

The company has also acquired 6 acres land adjacent to its techno-complex at Thoraipakkam (on Old Mahabalipuram Road) to construct a software development block to accommodate about 1,500 professionals, he said.

The $587-million Nasdaq-listed company ended 2004 with 15,300 professionals, and plans to add about 7,200 professionals in 2005 to take the global headcount to 22,500 by December.

Of the present 16,000 employees, over 7,300 are in Chennai, 1,600 in Kolkata, 1,400 in Pune, 1,000 in Bangalore and 700 in Hyderabad.

In the last few years, the company had invested Rs 500 crore, including Rs 300 crore in Chennai, on infrastructure creation in India, he said.

On the Coimbatore centre, Mr Narayanan said the company planned to lease 40,000 sq.ft. of space and employ about 400 during the first year of operations.

To begin with, the centre would focus on application maintenance, testing and IT infrastructure services.

The city has a large talent pool with 20,000 graduates passing out every year from 19 engineering colleges, 70 arts and science institutions and 14 polytechnics.

Engineering colleges alone produce about 6,000 graduates. There is potential to attract talent from interior Tamil Nadu and Kerala, he said.

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