Dublin-headquartered chipmaker DecaWave has officially opened its China headquarters in the southern technology hub of Shenzhen to reflect the growing importance of the Chinese market to its business.
DecaWave offers wireless technology to measure distances indoors through obstructions, allowing you to navigate, locate and track objects, people, or places indoors. It’s similar in a way to indoor GPS.
"Half of our revenue of $10 million (€8.05m) last year was in China, and we like to say how it used to be designed in California and made in China – it's now designed in China, made in China and consumed in China," DecaWave chief executive Ciaran Connell told The Irish Times.
“We have four people in China, and by the end of the year we will have 10, and aim to double every year at least. Sixty per cent of our revenue is in China, and we expect that to keep growing.”
The company currently has 70 engineers, which will grow to 100 by the end of this year. Clients are in the industrial space, the consumer space, in prisons, industrial infrastructure, and the group is targeting cars and mobile.
The group has sold 5.5 million chips so far, and the second family of chips is coming out this year.
International firms
The office is located in Shenzhen’s Nanshan district, where many high-tech companies and international firms are located. The office was opened officially by Ireland’s Ambassador to China Eoin O’Leary.
“Shenzhen is the Internet of Things centre of excellence in China. It is where all the manufacturing is done, and it is where a lot of the innovation is done. Choosing between Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, Shenzhen is a natural fit,” said Mr Connell.
“It also helps quite frankly that we are going to have a direct flight opening from Dublin to Hong Kong in June; it makes it so much easier.“Our experience of doing business in China has so far been very good.”
