KOCHI: US tech giant IBM will set up an Innovation Centre in Kochi in close collaboration with the Kerala government's industries and higher education department.
As per the plan, the Innovation Centre, which is coming up at Infopark in Kakkanad, will create around 2,000 new jobs. As a part of the initiative, officials from IBM visited and held discussions with the Industries Minister P Rajeeve and Higher Education Minister R Bindu in Thiruvananthapuram. "The state government will provide all possible backing to the initiatives that will bring job opportunities here," said Rajeeve.
Higher Education Minister Bindu, who met the IBM officials separately, suggested further talks with officials of the ASAP (Additional Skill Acquisition Programme) and the 'brain gain' programme under the Kerala State Higher Education Council.
Rajeeve told the IBM executives that the Innovation Centre can be expanded on a bigger scale with the realisation of Kochi GIFT City, the minister told the delegates from IBM. He said the centre will be able to provide world-class services with the help of the state government and the departments of commerce and higher education. "Universities and IT companies too will become a part of the Innovation Centre eco-system," he said.
According to IBM delegates, the services and products based on AI will provide a boost to the growth of industries in the state.
The IBM delegation was led by Dinesh Nirmal, its operations general manager. Other officials include IBM software lab vice president Gaurav Sharma, IBM software lab transformation leader Charley Kurien, IBM automation director Vishal Chahal, and government & regulatory affairs executive Gaurav Mahajan.
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