IBM to invest 22m euro in Dublin R&D lab

IBM Corporation is to make a further investment of €22 million to significantly develop its Irish R&D software facility in Santry, Dublin.

The investment at IBM's DSL, which has attracted support from IDA Ireland, is part of IBM’s global strategic development of its software business, to maintain its market leadership position in the "middleware" software market.

Bill Kearney, Manager of Dublin Software Laboratory (DSL), said: "The 2003 ‘Extreme Blue’ programme demonstrated that we can attract innovative students. We are now recruiting for the 2004 ‘Extreme Blue’ programme and are also interested in adding graduates who will create the innovations necessary for the future growth of the Lab."

Middleware is software that enables one software application to communicate with another. The Dublin Laboratory will develop key components for the new IBM ‘Lotus Workplace’, a software product designed to help customers collaborate more productively using a variety of integrated, server-managed functions for email, instant messaging, document management and team collaboration. ‘Workplace’ will be supplied as a complete package and the customer will be able to select, switch on and pay for the applications as they are required.

Elaine Stephen, IBM’s Director of Lotus Workplace Collaborative Learning said: “Due to excellent work by the management and staff at the Dublin Lab in building a world class software development capability we decided to make this strategic investment there. Our decision was influenced by the availability of the necessary skills, the growing emphasis on scientific research by Science Foundation Ireland and the strong support of IDA Ireland."

DSL grew from the original Lotus Development organisation, established in Ireland in 1985 and acquired by IBM in 1995. IBM has an active University Relations Programme through which it supports teaching and research and is providing resources to help develop the critical skills necessary for technology innovation.

Welcoming the announcement Tánaiste Mary Harney said the investment would "create a world-class knowledge centre and software development facility in Dublin".

IBM, which first established a presence in Ireland in 1956 with a sales operation, now employs over 4,000 people in several operations around Dublin, in manufacturing, eProcurement, sales and marketing, software development, consultancy, services and customer support and treasury operations.

IBM employs 315,000 people worldwide in its operating divisions: Software, Global Services, Hardware, and Global Financing.

In 2003 the company had revenues of $89 billion, an almost 10% increase on 2002, and a net profit of $7.6 billion, an increase of 112% on 2002.

(SP)