Technology giant IBM Corp announced plans yesterday to invest US$150 billion in the US over five years, including US$30 billion earmarked for research and development to bolster manufacturing of mainframe and quantum computers.
"Technology doesn’t just build the future — it defines it," IBM chairman and CEO Arvind Krishna said in a statement.
The investment, which comes as US President Donald Trump puts pressure on companies to invest in the United States, aims to cement IBM’s position as "the epicenter of the world’s most advanced computing and AI capabilities," Krishna added.
Photo: Silas Stein, AFP
Over the past five years, IBM reported about US$33.6 billion in research and development spending globally. Its total operational expenses in that time frame were US$141.8 billion.
Corporate giants, including Apple Inc, Nvidia Corp and Hyundai Motor Co, have announced major spending plans in the US since Trump returned to the White House in January, though some of that investment was already in the pipeline.
Trump earlier this month unveiled an unprecedented wave of tariff hikes in his effort to push US companies to shift manufacturing home.
The US president has since put most of the tariffs on hold, as worries grow about their severe impact on the US economy, though massive levies remain on China.
IBM stressed in its statement its "unwavering commitment to the future of American innovation, igniting new economic opportunity in the United States and around the world."
The 114-year-old company — which has trailed the dominant players Microsoft Corp, Amazon.com Inc and Google in recent years — emphasized that it operates the world’s largest fleet of quantum computing systems, which is seen as technology’s next frontier.
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