Jump ball for IT's future

Looks like the Indians and Chinese are going to have some competition in their plans to capture the future of IT…Russia and others.  From InfoWorld:

In an effort to jump-start its economy and diminish
its dependence on natural resources like oil, Russia has made local IT
development one of its top priorities, with plans for infrastructure growth,
regional "technoparks," and industry-friendly legislation.

"IT is Russia’s next natural resource," Leonid
Reiman, Russia’s Minister of Information Technology and Communications (ICT),
said at the Russian Economic Forum in London on Tuesday.

The pillars of this burgeoning IT economy are
Russia’s strong education base and thriving software development community. But
the country still faces significant challenges, among them, spotty
infrastructure development, limited funds, and crime. …

While these efforts are moving Russia in the right
direction, according to analysts, Russia faces a growing list of emerging
market competitors seeking to get their own slice of the IT industry. Eastern
European countries like Poland, Hungary and Estonia are joining other powerful
regional players like India and China in cultivating a local IT economy.