IBM plans to expand its Kochi facility

Tech major IBM has plans to make its global innovation centre at Infopark in Kakkanad here as the hub of its software labs in the country, according to P. Rajeeve, Minister for Industries.

The company has doubled its headcount within a year of launching the software lab at Infopark. In March 2023, the number of employees was around 750. It has doubled now, he said here on Friday.

Mr. Rajeeve said the Kochi facility would soon offer six-month full-time internship to BTech students of Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat) and APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University. The curriculum of both the varsities will be revised by including the internship programme. The students will earn credits by undergoing the paid internship, while they can attend their academic sessions online, he said.

The Minister said the company representatives would also act as adjunct faculty in both the universities by offering expert sessions in automation, data science, and Artificial Intelligence. IBM has helped in developing a favourable IT ecosystem in the State, he added.

Senior company officials said they recruited around 200 BTech graduates from Cusat and technical varsity every year. An equal number of internships are also offered to aspirants. With the increase in staff strength, the company has plans to set up a new building in Infopark, they said.