IBM will invest $ 150 billion in the United States over the next five years, including facilities for quantum computer production, the latest US technology company supporting the Trump government’s initiative for local manufacturing.
The company’s announcement on Monday follows similar promises of technology giants such as Nvidia and Apple, both of whom made disbursement promises of about $ 500 billion each in the country in the next four years.
Several analysts see investment commitments as proposals to US President Donald Trump, whose import rates threaten to undermine supply chains and increase costs to the technology industry.
IBM, also an important government contractor, said more than $ 30 billion of total investment will be used to expand manufacturing of quantum computers and mainframes in the US – systems used to deal with large volumes of data and critical applications.
The company operates one of the largest quantum computing networks in the world, which promises to offer thousands of times more powerful than traditional computers.
“Although we believe that IBM will continue to invest in the emerging area of quantum technology, the bombastic number is most likely a gesture towards US administration,” said Davidson analyst Gil Luria, noting that large technology companies are using investment promises as a shield against commercial conflicts.
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Recent advances in quantum computing, including a new generation of chips announced by Google in December, increased interest in the sector, although executives remain divided over when technology will have real -world applications.
Google aims to launch commercial applications in five years, while Nvidia’s executive president Jensen Huang foresees a 20-year waiting for practical uses.
IBM said last week that 15 of its government contracts were filed due to a Trump government cost cutting initiative, a setback that has eclipsed its optimistic revenue forecast for the second quarter.
