After nearly a decade of active involvement in open source, IBM's commitment to Linux is broad and deep, said Inna Kuznetsova, the director of IBM Linux strategy – a sentiment shared by most, though not all, IBM observers.

As the 10-year anniversary of IBM's Linux involvement nears , Kuznetsova outlined the company's open source accomplishments at the fourth annual Red Hat Summit this June. The Armonk, N.Y.-based computer and IT services giant ranks among the top Linux users worldwide and is a top Linux software provider, with more than 500 Linux-based middleware products, she said. The company is also immersed in new open source initiatives such as cloud computing and real-time Linux while showcasing Project Big Green , its own IT consolidation project, and the use of Linux to run production at its Fishkill, N.Y., chip fabrication plant.

IBM heads for the clouds and real-time computing

Some of IBM's most current open source initiatives are its cloud computing projects. It is in the process, for example, of building a computing cloud to provide centralized on-demand service for 11 software outsourcing business parks under construction in Wuxi, China, Kuznetsova said. The cloud will offer single-source computing power throughout these parks, which are expected to house 100 companies by 2010, she said.

More Here