With cloud adoption rates soaring an estimated 84% over the past five years, IBM (NYSE: IBM) has announced it’s investing in four new data centers in the United Kingdom, bringing its total to six. As U.K. Minister of State for Digital and Culture Matt Hancock described it, his country is already a “globally successful digital economy worth more than £118 billion [$146.7 billion] a year and strong cyber security defences to protect consumers and business.”
Minister Hancock added that expanding IBM’s data center presence will give the UK’s already fast-growing transition to the cloud a boost. Considering IBM’s emphasis on machine learning and comprehensive data analytics, it’s no surprise the new data centers will be “infused with cognitive intelligence” utilizing its machine-learning wonder, Watson, just as the existing two are.
In addition to the obvious opportunities the increased presence in the U.K. represents to IBM, the decision answers at least some questions tech industry pundits and investors have had regarding the impact of the upcoming Brexit. IBM had been in talks with U.K. officials before the voters’ now infamous decision in June to leave the EU, and like other tech big hitters, it has determined the potential the opportunity represents outweighs the risks.
IBM said it would also expand its presence in the U.K. by adding additional office space in what will be the home of the second of its four new data centers, which will be fully operational in mid-2017.
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