IBM India aims to make its Kochi software lab an important center in the country to augment the development and delivery of next-generation software portfolio and cloud offerings, according to a top company official.

A high-level meeting held with Kerala Industries Minister P Rajeeve also led to the introduction of internships at the company for students of Kerala Technological University and Cochin University of Science and Technology, IBM India Senior Vice President (Products) Dinesh Nirmal said.

The move to upgrade the facility comes a year after the US tech major opened its Software Lab in suburban Kakkanad. The state-of-the-art global innovation centre at Infopark became the company’s fifth software lab in the country, with Bengaluru, Hyderabad Ahmedabad and Pune being the others.

Rajeeve said the students of both universities will be eligible for paid internship for six months during which they can also attend their regular classes online. The internship will impart a work experience of international standards without upsetting their academic schedule.

IBM India’s efforts to augment its Software Lab in Kochi will usher in a reverse brain drain for Kerala, prompting top professionals to return to their home state, the Minister noted. It will also lead other major firms, using IBM software, to come to Kerala.

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Nirmal said IBM India makes close to 300 recruitments in Kerala annually. Besides, the six-month internship programme will benefit another 300 hands.

This idea of the Kochi Software Lab was taken forward amid the government’s mission to make Kerala a digital knowledge economy and IBM Software Labs’ initiatives to expand operations in the state. The IBM India Software Lab in Kochi was launched in September 2022.

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