Altair Inc., the $612-million, US-based company that is into computational science and artificial intelligence, will use its newly-opened Chennai centre to develop tools for global clients in electric vehicle and electronics. The Chennai centre, launched on Tuesday, will develop end-to-end tools for this purpose, Vishwanath Rao, Managing Director, Altair India, said.

Altair has spent $1 million on the new centre in Chennai, he said. It provides software and cloud solutions in simulations, high-performance computing, data analytics and AI, he added.

In India, the company has been present for over two decades, and has nearly 1,500 clients, including Tata Motors, Ashok Leyland, DRDO, HAL, BHEL and BEL. The Ministry of Earth Sciences uses the company’s tools along with satellite information for weather prediction, he added.

Adding new clients

Nearly 30,000 users are using the company’s tools in India. “We are adding 60-80 new customers every year in India,” he said. After the US and Germany, India is the third largest market for Altair, said Rao without disclosing country-specific financial data.

Altair has around 3,400 employees globally. Of this, nearly 25 per cent are in India across centres in Chennai, Pune, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Delhi, he said.

Amy Messano, Global Chief Marketing Officer, Altair Inc, said the Chennai centre is part of the company’s broader growth strategy to deepen its footprint in key markets and reinforcing its position as a leader in simulation-driven innovation. Simulation is introduced right at the design stage, she added.

In January, IIT Madras partnered with Altair to launch an eMobility Simulation Lab. The company has provided financial support of $1 million to the institute. Set up in the institute’s Department of Engineering Design, the lab has products and tools along with financial support from Altair.

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