IBM announces System X

Two pieces of news out of IBM Singapore today. In a joint announcement, IBM representatives there told of three newly released products and a new education center. IBM announced the launch in Singapore of System X, the latest in the xSeries product line, seek to assist in helping customers move to a systems-based approach to x86 computing.

System x3800 (with price starting at approximately US $5,000), System x3850 (from approximately US $7,000) and System x3800 (from approximately US $1,500) are designed to deliver enterprise class capabilities for server consolidation, scalable databases, ERP and CRM applications. The second news item represents a further bid by IBM Singapore to work the company into the educational system in Singapore: In partnership with the Institute of Technical Education College of Info-Comm Technology, IBM Singapore will establish an IBM System x Training Center at the institute’s Simei campus in the third quarter this year.

Chasing up on a number of products, the System x Training Center is the latest in a string of investments in the education sector. In January, the company launched their Marine Parade Community Library “Try Science” program, an interactive, multimedia educational tool designed to encourage children to science and scientific principles; Singapore IBM joined with IBM Corporation, the New York Hall of Science, the Association of Science/Technology Centres among others to make the program possible. IBM Singapore IT specialists collaborated thereafter with Singapore institutes of technical education to train ITE students in installation and usage of the TryScience kiosks. Today, more than one hundred TryScience kiosks have been installed in the Asian Pacific, with each representing an IBM investment of approximately US $30,000.

Later this year, IBM Singapore plans the launch of an “interactive multimedia learning experience” exhibit entitled “Eternal Egypt,” representing a partnership between IBM and the Egyptian government. This exhibit will combine history and artifacts from ancient times together with high tech. One wonders if they’ll be seeing “Eternal Singapore” in Cairo…