IBM opened its first development laboratory in Russia in Moscow on June 20, 2006. The company said it would invest $40 million over three years and planned to expand the lab from more than 40 people to 200 by the end of 2008.
When IBM opened the Moscow lab
IBM chairman and CEO Sam Palmisano opened the laboratory on June 20, 2006. IBM described it as its first development lab in Russia and one of four major development-operation announcements in that period, alongside facilities in São Paulo, Bangalore and Shanghai. IBM’s 2006 announcement
Why IBM chose Moscow
IBM presented Russia as both a source of advanced engineering talent and a market with established mainframe customers. It pointed to local expertise associated with the ES-EVM, a Soviet-era clone of IBM’s System/360, as technical background relevant to mainframe development. The company also planned to recruit in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Belarus and Ukraine. IBM’s announcement of the lab’s technical mission
University and research partnerships
IBM planned to work with Moscow Bauman University, Moscow State University, the Moscow Institute of Electronics and Mathematics, Novosibirsk State University, Nizhny Novgorod State University, St. Petersburg State University and the Russian Academy of Sciences. These relationships were intended to connect IBM with regional engineering and research talent. IBM’s announcement of academic collaboration
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How much IBM planned to invest
IBM announced a $40 million investment over the three years following the 2006 opening. The company said the lab had more than 40 people initially and planned to grow to 200 by the end of 2008. These were announced investment and staffing plans, not confirmation that the targets were ultimately reached. IBM’s 2006 announcement
What the engineers were expected to work on
System z and DFSMS
The lab’s core focus was IBM mainframe technology, including contributions to System z hardware and software. Its first named software assignment was the Data Facility Storage Management System (DFSMS), a System z operating-system component. IBM said Russian engineers would work to improve its speed and capacity for mainframe customers worldwide. IBM’s technical description of the lab
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BladeCenter collaboration
The Moscow team was also expected to work with IBM colleagues in the United States and Germany on next-generation BladeCenter systems. This tied the new operation to product-development teams outside Russia rather than limiting its remit to local customer work. IBM’s technical description of the lab
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Did the Moscow operation continue?
There is evidence that IBM’s Moscow technical-lab identity remained in use after the 2006 opening, although the available later references do not establish uninterrupted operation or confirm that the original staffing and investment plans were met. A 2010 IBM research report lists “IBM Russian Systems and Technology Laboratory, Moscow, Russia” as an author affiliation. IBM research report, 2010
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In 2016, IBM described Moscow as home to an Innovation Centre, Client Centre and Science and Technology Centre. It said technical specialists there worked alongside IBM’s global teams on next-generation technologies. That account indicates IBM still had technical operations in Moscow, but it does not by itself show that these centres were identical to the laboratory opened in 2006. IBM newsroom, 2016
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