IBM to build new design and development centre in Kochi

Armonk, New York-based technology major IBM has announced that it will expand its software lab in Kerala’s Kochi with the addition of a product engineering, design and development centre.  

The lab will handle development of solutions in the areas of hybrid cloud and artificial intelligence technologies, IBM said in a statement. 

“IBM brings its global best practices to India and we hope to do that in Kerala as well, by building indigenous skills in the state that will create a talent pool for the global marketplace,” Sandip Patel, managing director, IBM India, said. 

The new centre is expected to focus on developing solutions in the areas of automation, data analytics, security and artificial intelligence. It will also help with infusing new global design techniques and building agile methodologies. 

“I’m confident that our talent and IBM will create employment opportunities, accelerate digital innovation and provide a strong foundation for the IT/ITeS sector in the state,” Pinarayi Vijayan, Chief Minister of Kerala, said at a virtual press conference. 

Currently, IBM has its software labs in the cities of Bengaluru, Pune, Hyderabad and Chennai in India.   

The Kochi expansion is expected to build on the company’s plan to create an open, secure and decentralised architecture to help its clients automate, secure and modernize workflows. 

The company, however, did not reveal the size of the upcoming lab, the timeline for its completion and the number of employees the new location is set to house. 

In October last year, IBM’s CEO Arvind Krishna had said that about one-third of IBM's employees in the country will be moved to Kyndryl, the new managed infrastructure services business unit that was spun off as a separate entity recently.