India's software industry

India today has a distinct identity as a software superpower. With the world's second largest pool of English-speaking scientific and technical professionals, India boasts a US$5.7 billion software industry with an annual growth rate of more than 50 percent. As the software industry increasingly becomes a major driver of the nation's economy and policy makers devise ways to fuel its growth, India's software industry is poised for massive expansion. As a matter of fact, policy makers and industry leaders envision this industry's growing to more than US$80 billion by 2005 (with US$50 billion worth of software exports). The author considers India's competitive advantage and software competence. He gives a financial snapshot of India's software powerhouses.