Software company Birlasoft said on Friday that it will open a new development centre in Noida by June this year entailing an investment of $6 million, and plans to recruit about 850 software engineers by March 2005.

"We have decided to open a second development centre in Noida by June this year due to the increase in our offshore work," Birlasoft CEO, Atanu Banerji, said at a press conference in New Delhi.

The company would invest $6 million in the new centre, which will have a capacity of 700 engineers.

The New Jersey-based company currently has two development centres in India. Its global staff strength stands at 1800 professionals, of which 1200 are in India.

The company plans to add another 850 software engineers by the end of the current fiscal. "Most of the new recruits will be software engineers and MCAs," Birlasoft chief financial officer, K S Ananthanarayanan, told reporters.

Birlasoft is also considering setting up a third centre in the National Capital Region in the current financial year.