Australian electronics design solutions company Altium has announced significant investments in China which will accelerate the migration of users to Altium’s latest-generation electronics design tool, and boost the teaching of unified electronics engineering in Chinese universities.

The new investments are: an amnesty for users of unlicensed Altium software; and sponsored programs, special pricing, inclusive training, and electronics engineering centres of excellence in selected Chinese universities.

The Chinese government’s national policy to accelerate Chinese innovation and support the protection of intellectual property, and the estimated 300,000 users of Altium’s software in China, create a strong opportunity for Altium to grow its export revenue even further (currently 96 per cent of Altium’s sales are from outside Australia).

“Altium believes China can become a worldwide electronics design power house, in consumer and industrial electronics,” said Emma Lo Russo, Altium’s president and chief operating officer.

“Altium has a huge platform on which to build: 73 per cent of Chinese engineers, and 80 per cent of China’s electronics engineering students, use Altium solutions. This provides an enormous opportunity to migrate large numbers of engineers to licensed versions of Altium’s next-generation unified electronics design solution.”

The company believes it can convert a conservative 20 per cent of these users, with the potential to translate into tens of millions of dollars in export sales.

This export success represents new opportunities for Australia’s IT sector worldwide. “Altium boasts a long-standing presence in China that is now starting to deliver real benefits,” said Christopher Wright, Austrade's Senior Trade Commissioner in Shanghai. “China's improved IP environment is allowing Altium to increase the transfer of Australian hi-technology expertise to China, and to work in partnership with Chinese businesses and academic institutions to drive innovation in China. It’s a powerful example of how Australian companies can drive growth and be successful in China.

“Altium's success shows that China's rise is not just about growth but also diversification, and demonstrates the potential of China's transition from a manufacturing centre to a global hub of design excellence,” said Austrade’s Wright.

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