Software being developed at IBM’s software development lab in Kochi is being shipped out to large global corporates and enterprises etching the city’s name alongside a software product, said Dinesh Nirmal, senior vice president (products), IBM Software.
Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Nirmal said it was exciting to establish ‘Made in Kochi’ tagline alongside software products rather than reducing the city to a mere transit point of sorts in software development. It is a matter of pride for the city, he added.
“For a young software development lab that was inaugurated by the Chief Minister only in September 2022, the growth has been impressive. I have worked with many labs but has never such high growth rate. It is not just about the growth but also the high-quality talent that we are getting. From the perspective of talent, skill, and output perspective, the Kochi lab has shined across the globe,” said Mr. Nirmal.
Artificial Intelligence, automation, and data are the three core areas of the Kochi lab which employs around 1,000 developers. IBM Watsonx, an AI and data platform built for business, and IBM Watsonx Orchestrate featuring generative AI and automation technology are the two key software being developed in Kochi. Both products are being used aggressively by customers in Europe, Asia, and the U.S.
“Our plan is to continue to develop the lab and hire more people. We are looking at another big building for expansion in 2024 considering how rapidly we are growing,” said Mr. Nirmal.
“Unlike in the past when everyone used to leave Kerala for Bengaluru or Hyderabad, a reverse brain drain is happening. Now, we have people from Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Madhya Pradesh, and other places coming to Kochi. Besides being high-paying, every software development job creates additional 10 jobs in fields like transportation, education, healthcare, and entertainment,” he added.
“So, we are not only focused on the 1,000 jobs we create but also the additional 10,000 jobs they in turn create. This clearly is driving the economy. So many people who loved Kerala but had to leave are now coming back because of better living conditions and to be close to their families while being paid the same or even better as in Bengaluru or elsewhere,” Mr. Nirmal said.
For a State often maligned as investment-unfriendly and the deathbed of industries, Mr. Nirmal said his experience had been vastly different. For any venture to succeed, three factors are vital — skill and talent, government support, and infrastructure.
In terms of skill and talent, it has been really good, thanks to the support of universities and others. “The government has been really supportive and gone out its way whenever we have approached it whether its for internship with any university or education programmes. Last but not the least, Kochi has very good infrastructure, including an international airport, that drives our growth here,” Mr. Nirmal said.
