IBM Commits $100m to Big Data Training in China

IBM is donating $100m of big data and analytics ('BD&A') software to the Chinese Ministry of Education, while supporting student training at universities across the country to create the next generation of data scientists.

As part of what is known as the 'IBM U-100' initiative, the company will help set up BD&A Technology Centers in 100 universities, where it will also provide technical training to professors in areas including information management, data mining and social media analytics. It will also work with 30 universities to create new undergraduate and graduate degree programs for data scientist and chief data officer roles, and it will help five universities set up a BD&A Center of Excellence on each campus. Overall, the initiative aims to help 40,000 students a year gain expertise in big data and analytics; a skill increasingly in demand by China's employers, according to IBM.

The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) has already been involved with the initiative since last August, through the launch of the Marketing Engineering Lab (MEL), which trains students to conduct data mining research for the retail industry.

D.C. Chien (pictured), Chairman and CEO of IBM Greater China Group, comments: 'IBM is privileged to extend its collaboration with the Ministry of Education and universities in China. Together we will be able to accelerate the nurturing of skills in big data and analytics and help prepare future business leaders to apply BD&A technologies to tackle complex societal issues, from health care to transportation and public services.'

In tandem with the initiative, IBM has formed a partnership with online education portal www.kaikeba.com , which will set up an 'IBM Zone of Big Data and Analytics', through which the two firms will offer online big data training courses.

Web site: www.ibm.com .

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.