Bangalore, India Takes on Silicon Valley

The San Jose Mercury reports:

Drive along Hosur Road -- Bangalore's version of Highway 101 -- even at 1:30 a.m. and you'll see sparks from welders working on new buildings to house software companies. Pick up any newspaper and read ads from tech companies seeking -- imploring -- engineers to come work for them. Experience the Silicon Valley-style, masters-of-the-digital-universe attitude permeating Bangalore, from its impossibly jammed roads to the new dot-com-like offices.

``We think we will overtake Silicon Valley,'' said Vineet Shrivastava, bid manager at the Bangalore campus of Dutch tech services and wireless company LogicaCMG. ``You can see it for yourself.''

Bangalore, the tech center of India, is booming as the Bay Area once did, becoming a world-class hub for tech jobs, economic activity and, increasingly, innovation. While Silicon Valley still retains a hold on high-end tech jobs, countless lower-level positions, particularly in software -- and now some sophisticated research and development work -- are shifting to this city of 6.5 million in southern India. The emergence of Bangalore -- and of India -- as a tech power signals a new world economic order that is both opportunity and threat to Silicon Valley.

California doesn't have a monopoly anymore.The high taxes and regulations don't help one bit.