IBM chief executive Samuel Palmisano met with Indian business leaders and executives from client companies as he wrapped up a two-day trip to review the company’s new investments and expansion here.

IBM is investing US$6 billion to set up new research facilities and expand its outsourcing centres in India. The company has hired thousands of engineers and software professionals since Palmisano unveiled the three-year investment plan last June.

IBM sees India as a key base to support services for clients around the globe, helping the company fend off competition from low-cost Indian service providers that are increasingly grabbing worldwide technology consulting business.

It also wants to seize the opportunities in the fast-growing India market.

IBM now employs about 53,000 people in India, second only to the United States, where it has about 125,000 employees. Most of them are employed at the company’s outsourcing centres that cater to IBM’s clients worldwide.

AP