'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