IBM (NYSE:IBM) today significantly expanded its operations in Chennai with the inauguration of the company’s new Global Delivery Center by the Hon’ble Minister for Communications & Information Technology, Government of India, Thiru. A. Raja.

Chennai is IBM’s sixth Global Delivery location1 in India. This center will enable the company to scale up its existing application services portfolio to meet with the growing client demands. The new facility, situated in DLF Park, is spread across 295,000 square feet and initially will employ 100 persons. Depending on customer utilization of the center’s services, this new facility could eventually employ as many as 2,500 people. This center will be an integral part of IBM’s global delivery network, spread across three dozen countries around the world.

IBM today also announced the establishment of a new capability center which will fortify the company’s existing IT infrastructure services and management portfolio; and will strengthen IBM’s position as a leader in the Global IT Infrastructure Outsourcing industry2. In the initial phase, this center will offer server consolidation, middleware services and site and facilities services for IBM’s global clients. Once established, it will be a center for IT strategy and architecture; network services; business continuity and resiliency; security and privacy; storage and data services. This center will largely operate out of the new Chennai facility inaugurated today.

Speaking on the inauguration, Hon’ble Minister for Communications & Information Technology, Thiru. A. Raja said, “The state of Tamil Nadu provides a cohesive environment including an educated workforce, access to a good talent base and excellent administration, for global companies like IBM to invest in and grow. The expansion of IBM’s Global Delivery Center in Chennai is a reflection of the state’s enormous potential, and I am confident that both IBM and the state of Tamil Nadu will benefit tremendously from this new center.”

Mr. Shanker Annaswamy, Managing Director, IBM India Pvt. Ltd. said, “The new center and the team in Chennai will allow IBM to accelerate the development of innovative technology solutions for our clients across the globe.” IBM will ramp up its operations in Chennai by hiring technology graduates and IT professionals with skills in remote infrastructure services, IT strategy and architecture, business consulting, enterprise solutions (SAP, Siebel, and Oracle), testing, business intelligence and data warehousing.