'We help design smarter algorithms

Cercia was formed to bridge the gap between the academia and the industry,

and help commercialize cutting-edge technologies. How successful have you been

on this front?



Cercia is a leading center of excellence in computational intelligence research,
working with global companies like BT, Honda, BAE Systems, Daimler, IBM, Rolls

Royce, and Infosys Technologies. Cercia has been quite successful in helping

design smarter algorithms that are inspired by natural evolution. These are

being used to create novel and innovative solutions for both traditional and new

business problems. A major area where Cercia technologies/algorithms are being

applied are optimization, including optimizing the design of the turbine blades

of jet engines that power aircraft, as well as optimizing retail shelf space in

superstores. Other areas include logistics, route optimization, automating the

software testing process, and any area that involves improving various processes

such as how to configure a telecommunication network, run a supply chain more

efficiently or analyze and make sense of the humungous amount of data generated

by organizations.

What has been the nature of Cercias involvement in India?



Cercias involvement in India has been fairly recent, but is growing rapidly. I
was part of the UK IT Trade Mission to India in October 2006. Having lived and

worked in India, I was keen to look at collaborations, which help Indian

companies create a long-term strategic advantage over their competitors using

Cercia technologies/frameworks/algorithms. I must say that the results have been

very encouraging, with a number of Indian companies and research institutions

setting up research/commercial collaborations/partnerships with Cercia as they

are win-win for both.

Douglas S Land, MD, Chesapeake Group

Can you give some examples of how Cercia has taken inspiration to solve

complex business problems?



One breakthrough example is how Cercia algorithms help to optimize the route

taken by gritter trucks that have to grit the roads with salt before the snow

settles down. Taking into account various parameters like the road surface

temperatures, the weather conditions as well as the different sizes and the

salt-carrying capacities of gritter trucks, a Cercia algorithm is able to guide

a driver to take the optimized route to ensure that all the roads get properly

gritted with salt.

Sudesh Prasad



sudeshp@cybermedia.co.in