IBM Expands Software Labs In Ireland

IBM said Tuesday that it is increasing its presence in Ireland with the expansion of software development labs in Galway and Cork.

IBM said the $32 million investment will be used to help build out its portfolio of Tivoli infrastructure management software, which is in part developed in Ireland. The move will create 130 new programming jobs at the labs, IBM said.

Irish employment minister Michael Martin, in a statement, said the investment bodes well for Ireland's high-tech economy.

"The benefits are tremendous in terms of the highly sophisticated software technology that will be developed in both locations, the highly skilled positions that will be created, and the endorsement by a world industry leader that Ireland is providing the requirements for IBM's future in research and development," Martin said. IBM acquired the Galway and Cork labs through its buyout last month of Vallent, a developer of performance management software for wireless carriers.