IBM recently relocated the global headquarters of its IoT business unit and the Watson supercomputer to the Schwabing Highlight Towers. Details of the budget have now been released.
It has been known for some timethat the IT pioneer plans to employ around 1,000 developers, consultants, researchers, and designers in the towers in northern Munich alone. Now we know more about the project's financing: $200 million is to be invested in the Munich Watson IoT headquarters. This represents one of the largest investments the company has ever made in Europe.
Harriet Green, Global Head of Watson IoT, explains:
“In Munich, we would like to invite our customers and partners to leverage our talents and technologies to jointly build an international hotspot for collaborative innovation around the IoT.”
Demand from industry
With this investment, IBM is responding to the growing demand for big data and AI services: within the last eight months alone, the company says it has been able to increase the number of customers in its Watson IoT division by half from 4,000 to 6,000.
In 2011, the supercomputer triumphed in the TV quiz Jeopardy! against human champions. By linking it with IBM's IoT activities, the supercomputer is now apparently unlocking its potential for industry. Customers already include the Franconian automotive supplier Schaeffler and the Dutch drone manufacturer Aerialtronics.
