Network Systems and Technologies Pvt Ltd, the global engineering software services wing of the NeST group, on Monday opened an offshore development centre for Japan's Fujitsu VLSI Ltd at the Technopark campus here.

Toshimasa Wada, executive vice-president (electronic devices) of Fujitsu, said the firm had been on the lookout for creative and resourceful partners who can help them in improving their products and services.

"NeST came as a natural choice for us in our VLSI design domain due to its praiseworthy track record in the high technology market and overall technical capability," he said at the inauguration of the new centre.

NeST group chairman Javad Hassan said the semiconductor industry is globally poised for tremendous growth. The developed world was increasingly considering India as a destination for creative ideas and high-end technical expertise.

"I consider VLSI (Very Large Scale Integrated Circuit) design as the next growth engine for the semiconductor division of NeST," said Hassan.

A subsidiary of Fujitsu Ltd - a Fortune 500 firm, Fujitsu VLSI is a total solution provider of electronic devices.

NeST is an international corporate group of over 25 companies employing more than 3,000 people worldwide, with a global export business turnover in excess of $200 million.

It has hardware and software facilities in Thiruvananthapuram, Cochin, Bangalore and Mysore in India apart from its centres in the US.