Atmel Corporation to double staff strength in Chennai R&D

The company currently has 200 employees in the facility in Chennai

Atmel R&D India Pvt Ltd, a subsidiary of US-based Atmel Corporation which manufactures microcontrollers and touch technology semiconductors, is planning to double its strength in the Chennai R&D facility in next three to five years.

Speaking to reporters here today, Steven Laub, president and CEO of Atmel Corporation, said the development centre at present had 200 people and the company was planning to double it in next three to five years. The expansion in headcount would be driven by the increasing market requirement of innovative products, he added.

It supplies its products to smartphone companies like Samsung and Xiaomi apart from various other companies in the industrial sector including computing and automotive. It also works on various wearable and health monitoring devices.

The company at present has 10 such R&D centres in various parts of the world. It is also in the process of tying up with various universities in India to explore research opportunities and create manpower.

Atmel started operations in Chennai in 2007. The $1.4 billion company spends around 17 per cent of the total turnover on R&D, added Laub.