Google to open India R&D facility

Search giant Google has announced that it will be opening an engineering research and development facility in the offshorer's destination of choice, India.

The facility will be opened in the Indian city of Bangalore, creating around 100 engineers' jobs. It's Google's first installation outside of its native US, which has developers in several locations around America, including California and New York.

A Google exec told the Wall Street Journal the decision was taken to join the outsourcing trend or to cut costs, but because the country has high quality engineers and the company was happy to spend time in India recruiting and training them. "It's clear India is going to be a major player," he told the paper.

The decision follows a tour of the region which impressed Google bosses, who are expected to return to India early in the new year to dot the I's and cross the T's. The facility is expected to open in 2004.