Developing the "Great Mind Challenge". | |
| The world's largest computer services company, IBM, today announced plans to invest $6 billion in India over three years, underscoring the country's growing importance as a global hub for IT expertise and a growing market in its own right. |
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| "The investments enable IBM to fulfil its vision to become a globally integrated company," Sam J Palmisano, chairman and CEO of IBM Corporation, told a large gathering of IBM employees here on Tuesday. |
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| Coming on top of the $2 billion invested by IBM in the last three years, this makes the company one of the largest overseas investors in India. |
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| The figure is significantly higher than the $3.9 billion of combined investment announced for India last year by three US-based companies "" Microsoft, Intel and Cisco Systems. |
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| "If you are not here in India, making the right investments, finding and developing the best employees and business partners, you won't be able to combine the skills and expertise with that from around the world. The investment will ensure that we make the most of the opportunities to grow in this market," he added. |
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| Giving details of the investment plan, Palmisano said it would be directed at five critical areas. One, IBM would set up a new breed of service delivery centres in Bangalore. |
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| New processes and technologies that automate IT service delivery would be deployed at these centres to provide clients with enhanced flexibility and increased worldwide access to skills, service offerings and continuous availability at lower costs. |
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| Two, it would create the IBM Systems and Technology Group Innovation, Development and Executive Briefing Centre in Bangalore. |
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| This would focus on IBM infrastructure solutions, technologies and innovations, providing performance bench-marking, testing, data migration and competency-building capabilities. |
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| Three, a Telecommunications Research & Innovation Centre would be established at the IBM India Research Lab in New Delhi, aimed at serving as a key resource for IBM's telecommunications clients around the world. |
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| Four, the capabilities and staff of the High Performance on Demand Solutions Lab in Bangalore would be increased. |
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| And five, investments would be made to develop the "Great Mind Challenge", which is designed to improve the software development skills of Indian students as they work on resolving issues facing businesses today. |
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