Razer to expand R&D in Singapore
SINGAPORE--Razer announced Thursday plans to increase its research and development (R&D) capabilities in the island-state by investing US$12.64 million over the next three years.
Theo Sanders, Razer's director of products, told ZDNet Asia in an interview that the new investment will be used to expand its R&D facility, where the floor space will increase five-fold to over 20,000 square feet.
The new center, which is scheduled to be up and running by early October, will employ more than 100 staff by year-end, some 60 percent of whom will be in R&D roles such as R&D engineers, industrial designers, and product analysts.
Sanders declined to give details, but said that Razer's Singapore facility will be involved in every product design, and "a growing number of Razer products will be designed in Singapore".
Razer's Singapore team played a part in the development of the Razer Mako desktop speakers, which was launched in Singapore last week.
"Singapore is an integral part of Razer's global blueprint," Robert Krakoff, president of Razer, said in a statement. "We also believe that the next wave of gaming evolution and growth will take place in Asia, and Singapore is right smack in the middle of it."
"[As such], we decided to focus Razer's R&D and industrial design in Singapore because we knew that we'd be able to attract the global talents we needed to dynamically grow Razer," Krakoff added.
Razer has two other R&D centers: one in China, the other in the United States.
The PC gaming peripherals maker will also use the new investment funds to purchase testing equipment, expand its office space, and set up a test-bed lab.
Sanders said that the test-bed lab will help with product development by simulating "how a real Internet gaming café is set up and operates".
In March, Razer CEO Tan Min-Liang, a Singaporean, was honored by the local IT industry body Singapore Computer Society as the winner of the Young Professional of the Year award for 2007.