Communication Research and Development Center established

Zurich, Switzerland, 29 Sep 1999—IBM Research and the Microelectronics Division (IMD) jointly sponsor the Communication Research and Development Center (CRDC) which was formed to meet the following three primary objectives:

• Accelerate the movement of innovations from IBM's research scientists into the communication marketplace;
• Invest in a set of long-term programs to define the future of communication technology;
• Provide our customers with leading-edge offerings, as well as direct working relationships with our researchers.

The design of the CRDC is modeled after the successful partnership between research and development in the IBM Semiconductor Research and Development Center and has a portfolio of investments covering everything from today's offerings to our vision of the future 5-10 years out.

The IBM Research communication technology team spans three of IBM's worldwide research locations: IBM's Haifa Research Laboratory in Israel, the Watson Research Center in Yorktown Heights/USA, and the Zurich Research Laboratory. IBM Research and specifically the Zurich Research Laboratory have a long history of leadership in base technology and standards, including signal processing, optical link design and implementation, Token-Ring networks, switching fabrics, and network control and management. Long-term basic research areas include wavelength-division multiplexing, intelligent network adapters, and ultra-scalable switching systems.