In a move that could be heralded as a game-changer in the fields of research and development (R&D) and information technology, Hewlett-Packard (HP) opened a new cutting-edge laboratory in Singapore in February this year, just days after the Singapore government announced that R&D would be a major component in the 2010 budget.

HP is infusing US$35.6 million (S$50 million) over the next five years into the 7,000-square-foot facility in Fusionopolis, one of Singapore’s R&D hubs.

Up in the Clouds
HP Lab Singapore, like other HP labs, is designed to foster innovation by looking five and 10 years into the future. Such a goal dovetails with the Singapore government’s aim to make the island an innovation hub. At present, HP Lab Singapore is looking at less mainstream projects like cloud computing technology and other projects as the next big thing. The lab will also conduct R&D on data centre and application design principles that will explore how tomorrow’s design principles will be met.

Cloud computing essentially allows organisations to share technologies openly via the Internet. It has a lot of potential and HP stands to gain by looking into the nascent technology this early. For instance, industry analysts say that the global market for cloud computing services is estimated to increase to US$150 billion (S$211 billion) by 2013. Cloud computing made its presence felt in Singapore last year when the Ministry of Education adopted Google’s cloud-based applications.

The Singapore lab is one of three HP Labs – the other two in Palo Alto in the United States and Bristol, United Kingdom – that is working on the Cirious platform, which is HP’s principal cloud software platform. The goal of Cirious is to enable providers to have a platform to develop, host and manage their services from the cloud, as well as integrate them with various services from other providers. Aside from this, Cirious will also explore how future cloud computing needs will be met and determine what an ideal cloud centre looks like.

The Singapore lab will also support a number of cloud initiatives already in the pipeline such as the
OpenCirrus Project, a collaboration between HP, Intel and Yahoo!, which provides an open-source test bed for cloud-computing research. Though still in its infancy, it is only a matter of time before cloud computing will become the template by which technology is transferred. With the global market for cloud computing widening, this technology could potentially radically shift the way companies obtain software and computer capabilities.

An Open Innovation Approach
One of the main goals of the laboratory is to hasten the pace of technology transfer between the government, the academe, and HP. HP Labs Singapore will benefit from a close collaboration between the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*Star), HP and various other institutions. Aside from this, HP Labs Singapore will also open dialogues with customers across Asia Pacific to promote co-innovation and to showcase new technologies, as well as pay attention to customer feedback. Future plans for the laboratory include partnerships with the government on various projects.

By collaborating with various institutions as well as pushing its research, HP is helping to bring about new business opportunities and immense business benefits. In fact, the very nature of cloud computing – collaborative and non-restrictive – makes it the ideal technology for small and medium enterprises that may not have the wherewithal for a full IT system. The technology is also a good lure for multinational corporations, as well as other firms within the region to set up shop here, given the dynamic R&D environment. Already, the new facility joins a growing list of corporate labs that have chosen to be based here, such as Nitto Denko, Vestas and Seiko Instruments.

For such advanced technology, HP decided to situate the laboratory here because of its long history with Singapore, and also because the Republic is the most open to trade and investment in the region and its economy is one of the most competitive, making it ideal for R&D. Singapore also serves as the regional hub for many of HP’s biggest accounts, making it easy for the company to extend its philosophy of open innovation.

A Nesting Ground for Top Talent
Aside from cutting-edge technology, HP Labs Singapore will also make use of something that Singapore has an abundance of – a growing pool of topnotch engineering talent, which HP was said to have considered when it decided to open the laboratory here. In fact, Lim Hng Kiang, Minister for Trade and Industry, remarked during the opening ceremony that HP’s decision to base its lab here is yet another endorsement of the country’s attractiveness as an R&D location. The country boasts a strong intellectual property policy, a ready pool of scientific and research talent and a topnotch system of universities and research institutes that could contribute to the work that HP is doing. All these make the country an ideal host for innovation and knowledgesensitive activities, Lim said.