HP Narrows R&D Focus

Hewlett-Packard has decided to place its research and development efforts in a handful of "big bets" rather than funding numerous smaller projects.

Technology giant Hewlett-Packard has announced it will focus its research and development efforts on a handful of “big bets” rather than funding development of hundreds of smaller projects. The new approach for HP Labs has HP consolidating its efforts into 23 distinct labs in seven locations around the world (Palo Alta, Beijing, Bangalore, Bristol, Haifa, St. Petersburg, and Tokyo) under the supervision of Prith Banerjee; the labs will work on 20 to 30 large research projects, rathern than the 150 or so projects the labs attempted to manage in the past.

“HP Labs has a long history of delivering innovation that has changed the way people use technology,” said HP CEO Mark Hurd, in a statement. “The steps we’re taking today will further strengthen Labs and help ensure that HP is focused on groundbreaking research that addresses customer needs and creates new growth opportunities for the company.”

Banerjee didn’t elaborate on specific projects that would receive attention or be killed off as a result of the new organization, citing the information as “commercially sensitive, but noted the company planned to back what it considered the most promising research paths, in part by forming partnerships with VC firms, government agencies, and research universities.

HP Labs will work on technology that the company sees as shifting the entire IT industry and, eventually, the entire technology industry. Dubbed “Everything as a Service,” the view holds that software and information will eventually migrate to “cloud-based” services that are deeply personalized and aware of users’ current contexts, including location, preferences, friends, and calendars.

According to Banerjee, the amount of money HP spends on R&D will be about the same as the company’s previous expenditures, but with the goal of getting better results that can be quickly moved to market.