CALGARY, Alberta – Alberta’s tech sector continues to grow as IBM Canada launches a new Client Innovation Centre (CIC) in Alberta to support the innovative needs of its global business, with plans to create 250 tech jobs over five years.
The IBM Centre will focus on sustainability and deliver consulting services and frontier technologies like 5G, artificial intelligence, hybrid cloud, and blockchain, building on Alberta’s reputation as a fast-growing global destination for tech investment. Opening in the first half of 2023, the Centre will be located in a portion of the current 25,000-square-foot IBM office in the Beltline area of downtown Calgary.
“IBM’s choice to locate its new Client Innovation Centre for Western Canada in Calgary is truly something to celebrate. This investment shows once more that Alberta has the economic momentum to continue to move Albertans forward. We have worked closely with IBM over the past year to make this investment possible, and are thrilled to see this happen, adding even more momentum to Alberta’s rapidly growing tech sector.”
- Honourable Jason Kenney, Premier of Alberta
“The new IBM Client Innovation Centre will play an important role in contributing to Alberta’s economic growth through job creation and the engagement of local expertise. It will accelerate innovation in sustainable practices and advance the position of Alberta as a hub for energy transformation. IBM has a long and established presence in the province and we are excited to expand our capability in Calgary in support of our clients in Western Canada.”
- Dave McCann, President, IBM Canada.
Invest Alberta partnered with IBM in March 2021 to help the company secure its investment in Alberta, optimize government programs, make stakeholder connections, gain talent support and navigate Alberta’s regulatory environment. The Client Innovation Centre will fill high-demand roles like application developers, business and transformation analysts, testers and project managers.
“IBM’s expansion to Calgary is a welcome addition to the growing tech sector in the city. This new Client Innovation Centre not only represents additional opportunities for job-seekers, it is further evidence of the maturation of technology and innovation in Alberta. Alberta is proving, once again, that we are a destination of choice for business.”
- Honourable Doug Schweitzer, Minister of Jobs, Economy and Innovation
“IBM’s Client Innovation Centre will play a key role in the digital expansion of Alberta’s IT-ecosystem and create new employment opportunities to foster the next wave of technology innovation. Investments in digital transformation can’t happen without people and their skills, and Alberta has the talent pipeline and business-friendly environment to grow new operations.”
- Rick Christiaanse, CEO, Invest Alberta
IBM’s announcement joins the list of recent investments by tech heavy hitters in Alberta, including Amazon Web Services’ $4.3 billion commitment for a new cloud computing operation and Mphasis’s plans to create a quantum computing hub in Alberta and up to 1,000 jobs. Spending on digital transformation in Alberta is expected to surpass $20 billion in the next two years, a forecast of 13% year-over-year growth.
Source: Invest Alberta Corporation
