IBM’s investments in small US software and services companies are now coming thick and fast, and the latest to get the treatment is KnowledgeWare Inc, an Atlanta, Georgia developer of computer-aided software engineering tools for the planning, analysis, design and generation of computer systems. Terms of the investment, for a minority stake, were not disclosed, but the agreement includes technology licensing and joint development efforts directed toward the future development of IBM application development systems for use within its Systems Application Architecture. Privately-held KnowledgeWare has 250 employees, and is thought to be doing products for use with IBM’s much-delayed repository for DB2. IBM is to consolidate its advanced workstation and programming divisions in Austin, Texas at a new 1m square foot facility in the leafy state capital. Construction is due to start by year-end with completion a year later. The unit will house some 3,400 engineers, programmers and support staff from the Advanced Workstation Division, and Entry Systems’ Austin Programming Center.
