Ramona Adams
IBM has established a research laboratory in Johannesburg, South Africa to facilitate collaborative programs in the areas of data-based healthcare, digital urban ecosystems and astronomy.
The facility, located at the University of the Witwatersrand, is built through IBM’s 10-year investment program with the South African trade and industry department and partnership with the country’s science and technology department, IBM said Thursday.
A team of IBM researchers in South Africa has begun to explore the potential use of cognitive computing, Internet of Things and big data to support national priorities as well as skills development and economic programs in the region, the company noted.
Solomon Assefa, director of IBM’s research business in Africa, said that he believes cognitive, cloud and IoT technologies can help South African researchers to detect population growth and healthcare delivery patterns.
The lab features a three-dimensional printer, electronic design equipment and an OpenStack-based infrastructure-as-a-service platform that is connected to a company-made Storwize system and designed to manage up to 80 terabytes of research data.
IBM added the facility is built to also provide access to the LinuxONE Community Cloud that works to serve as a virtual research-and-development engine where users can create, test and pilot applications through the cloud.
The company also operates a research laboratory in Nairobi, Kenya.
