IBM unveils a $200 million USD investment in new global HQ for its Watson IoT business in Munich

IBM unveils a $200 million USD investment in new global HQ for its Watson IoT business in Munich

IBM unveiled a $200 million USD investment in the new global headquarters for its Watson Internet of Things (IoT) business in Munich, new IoT capabilities around Blockchain and security and an array of clients that are driving real outcomes by using Watson IoT technologies to draw insights from billions of sensors embedded in machines, cars, drones, ball bearings, pieces of equipment and even hospitals.

As part of a global investment of $3 billion USD designed to bring Watson cognitive computing to IoT, IBM has allocated more than $200 million USD to its global Watson IoT headquarters in Munich.

The investment, one of the company’s largest ever in Europe, is in response to escalating demand from customers who are looking to transform their operations using a combination of IoT and Artificial Intelligence technologies. Currently IBM has 6,000 clients globally who are tapping Watson IoT solutions and services, up from 4,000 just 8 months ago.

The Watson IoT headquarters will be home to the first ever cognitive IoT Collaboratories - hands-on industry labs where clients and partners can work together with IBM’s 1,000 Munich-based researchers, engineers, developers and business experts to drive collaborative innovation in the automotive, electronics, manufacturing, healthcare and insurance industries.

Together, they will tackle the toughest challenges of their respective industries; apply new concepts and technologies to build IoT solutions; develop and test new business models, solutions and services; and push the boundaries of what is possible with IoT.

“IBM is making tremendous strides to ensure that businesses around the world are able to take advantage of this incredible period of technological transformation and develop new products and services that really change people’s lives. Germany is at the forefront of the Industry 4.0 initiative and by inviting our clients and partners to join us in Munich, we are opening up our talent and technologies to help deliver on the promise of IoT and establishing a global hotbed for collaborative innovation.“, said Harriet Green, Global Head of IBM’s Watson IoT business.

IDC Cites IBM as an IoT Industry Leader

IBM’s leadership in the Internet of Things was recently highlighted by industry analysts IDC who surveyed over 4,500 business decision makers in 25 countries around the world for their Global Decision Maker Survey.

“With 55% of respondents stating that IoT is strategic to their business, we can see that the market is pivoting away from proof of concept projects to scalable deployments that are incorporating cloud, analytics, and security capabilities. In our research, IBM came across as a major player in nearly every aspect of the IoT market with clear leadership for its IoT platform, software and systems integration. IBM’s investment to bring its Watson cognitive computing technologies to the IoT is clearly gaining traction with companies around the world which are launching their own IoT solutions.“, said Vernon Turner, Senior Vice President of Enterprise Systems and IDC Fellow for the Internet of Things.