IBM to invest $300 million in new Costa Rica IT center

President Laura Chinchilla said "Costa Ricans
will be able to showcase their talent at these
state-of-the-art facilities". Courtesy of Casa Presidencial

International Business Machines Corp. (IBM) on Thursday opened a new Costa Rica Delivery Center in the province of Heredia, north of the capital.

The company announced it will invest $300 million over the next 10 years and intends to employ up to 1,000 people by 2014, affirming the country's position as a strategic services hub for the technology giant.

The new facility will support clients in the areas of IT security, data storage, business analytics, cloud computing and other services in demand. Additionally, the center will provide technology capabilities that can anticipate and help prevent fraud and IT hacking.

“With IBM’s state-of-the-art facilities, thousands of Costa Ricans will be able to showcase their talent, pushing Costa Rica further down the path of innovation, knowledge and technology; a path that we have bravely undertaken with courage and commitment, but most of all, with great confidence in the talent of our people,” President Laura Chinchilla said during an opening ceremony held at the America Free Zone.

Read the full story on the Tico Times Here

IBM to invest $300 million, create 1,000 jobs in Costa Rica

By Adam Williams

The investment is one of the largest here in the past decade.

U.S.-based technology giant IBM announced Thursday it will invest approximately $300 million over the next 10 years in a new information technology service center in Costa Rica. The center is expected to create an estimated 1,000 jobs by 2014.

President Laura Chinchilla said the IBM investment is one of the largest in the country in the past decade, and represents a vital step for her administration’s goal of achieving $9 billion in foreign direct investment by 2014. With FDI reaching $1.45 billion in 2010, Chinchilla set a goal of $1.95 billion for 2011.

“As president, my main priority is to propel Costa Rica toward development, improving its competitiveness and guiding it toward innovation through high technology, and generating employment opportunities with higher added value,” Chinchilla said Thursday morning. “The decision of IBM is a very positive sign that we are moving in the right direction. Costa Rica is welcoming new opportunities to continue developing the talent of our workers and motivating our youth in school.”

According to the Costa Rican Investment Board, in 2010 there were 210 foreign-owned companies operating in the country, generating 58,472 jobs.

To read the full story by Adam Williams in the Tico Times, click here