Siemens 2012 Annual Report Download - page 13

11
IT location
India’s Silicon Valley
“Our vision: Bangalore – The Gateway to South India”
G.V. Sanjay Reddy has a vision: to make Bangalore – or, as the local people call
it, Bengaluru – the Gateway to South India. And he and his company, the Indian
conglomerate GVK, are doing everything in their power to make that vision a
reality. In , GVK acquired a majority stake in Bangalore International Airport
Limited (BIAL), the company that owns and operates Bengaluru International
Airport. For Reddy, Vice Chairman of GVK and Managing Director of the airport,
this transaction was much more than just a business venture. “Our plans are
very ambitious and far-reaching,” he says. “In building and operating the air-
port, we have the interests and expectations of the city and the entire region
before our eyes.”
The potential is endless. India is one of the world’s fastest-growing countries.
Since , its economy has expanded at an annual rate of over %. And the
Bangalore area has been one of the big winners. Immigrants have poured in
from other parts of India and from all around the world. Many of the newcom-
ers, who now account for more than half of the city’s population, are highly
qualified IT experts employed at the national and international computer and
high-tech companies that have made Bangalore what it is today: a center of
the country’s software industry and the Silicon Valley of India. Between 
and , the population of the metropolitan area grew almost %. Home to
some . million people, Bangalore is now India’s third-largest city after Mumbai
and Delhi and one of the country’s key business and commercial centers. To
find sustainable solutions to the challenges facing the booming conurbation,
the local infrastructure will have to be substantially expanded.
G.V. Sanjay Reddy’s predecessors had to start virtually from scratch. At the turn
of the millennium, political leaders in Karnataka realized that economic growth
required a highly efficient infrastructure. However, the public funds available for
its expansion were not sufficient. And the government needed a strong partner.
Having already demonstrated in projects worldwide how innovative transportation
solutions, efficient power supply and advanced healthcare facilities can create an
environment in which economic growth benefits all of a region’s inhabitants,
Siemens filled the bill.
 – As Vice Chairman of the Indian conglomerate
GVK, G.V. Sanjay Reddy is Managing Director of
the international airports in Mumbai and Bangalore.
Siemens Corporate Technology established
its first research center in Bangalore in .
Today, experts at the center are conducting
research in areas like software technology
and decentralized energy systems.