Internet retailer Amazon.com Inc. has said it would open a software development centre in Chennai, to focus on developing innovative Web site features.

The centre's size was not disclosed, and a spokeswoman for Seattle-based Amazon, which already has a facility in Bangalore, said it does not give headcount details as a matter of policy.

Amazon said in a statement it was looking for 'exceptional computer scientists', joining Internet giants such as Yahoo and Google in a scramble for Indian talent, which is driving up salaries in the $17.2-billion software and business service industry.

But experts say India's high-tech workers still earn only a fifth of US counterparts, which fuels the industry's expansion.

( www.financialexpress.com)