The Wall Street Journal reported that IBM CEO Sam Palmisano has advised the Obama team that a government investment of $30 billion could create more than 900,000 jobs for U.S. workers.
Palmisano addressed Barack Obama’s transition team in December in response to a request from the president-elect’s advisers on the job-creating capabilities of the IT industry. In response, IBM’s Palmisano delivered a presentation to the transition team stating that a $30 billion investment in expanding broadband access, computerizing health care records and improving the electrical grid could create more than 900,000 U.S. jobs, the Journal report said.
The Wall Street Journal reported that IBM worked with a Washington think tank known as the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation to evaluate potential job development possibilities in three areas: broadband, health care IT and “smart grid” technologies.
According to the Journal, the IBM/Information Technology and Innovation Foundation research said that investing $10 billion in broadband networks to provide high-speed Internet access to areas that lack it would create 498,000 new jobs in a year, while a $10 billion investment in health care IT could create 212,000 jobs. In addition, IBM said a $10 billion investment in upgrading the electrical grid would lead to the creation of 239,000 additional jobs.
Moreover, IBM officials said Palmisano recommended the use of green data centers by the government, including converting existing data centers to green ones.