IBM Opens Calgary Oil Sands Centre of Excellence

New Technologies for Efficient Recovery

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CALGARY, AB - 07 Mar 2007: Today, IBM (NYSE: IBM) opened its US $2.6 million Oil Sands Centre of Excellence in Calgary, which aims to help petroleum producers test and use new technologies that will lower costs and make oil recovery easier, more efficient, and more intelligent. The Centre is the fifth IBM facility focused on the global oil and gas industry to open in the past two years.

The development of Alberta's oil sands will be one of the world's largest capital investments, with the petroleum industry expected to invest between US $42.4 billion and US $84.8 billion within the next decade. But capital costs have doubled in the past five years and many projects are behind schedule and over budget. The new centre will promote collaboration among all industry players, helping them do business more effectively.

"At IBM, we have a proven track record of providing world-class solutions to the oil and gas industry, and have had a presence in Alberta's oil patch for over 40 years, with all of our 2300+ people in Alberta dedicated to our clients' success," said Dan Fortin, president of IBM Canada. "Our collaborative partnerships -- with clients, business partners, academia, and other key constituencies -- enable us to accelerate the development and adoption of innovative technologies and business strategies. And that is exactly what we are seeking to do at the IBM Oil Sands Centre of Excellence."

Located in IBM's Calgary offices, the centre will introduce a variety of technologies including radio frequency identification, three dimensional data visualization, kiosks, and software integration. These technologies will improve construction and project management, labour productivity, business processes and environmental management.

IBM works closely with a number of companies involved in oil sands projects and plans to partner with other technology companies and key industry players at the Centre.

"With this Oil Sands Centre of Excellence, IBM will expand the availability of a new generation of intelligent technologies to allow the oil and gas industry to visualize, virtualize and integrate business processes more efficiently," said Steve Edwards, IBM Global Business Services leader, Global Chemicals and Petroleum industry. "We're inviting oil sands companies and industry stakeholders to work with us at the Centre to create new and innovative solutions for this burgeoning industry."

As global energy requirements continue to climb, the Alberta oil sands are an important part of North America's energy supplies, and the Centre will help improve the financial and operational efficiency of the industry.

Other IBM facilities focused on the global oil and gas industry include: IBM Oil & Gas Centre of Excellence in Stavanger, Norway; the Energy Competency Center (ECC), Abu Dhabi; the Energy Competency Center (ECC) Beijing, and the Energy Competency Center (ECC) Moscow.

About IBM

For more information about IBM, visit www.ibm.com; for more information about IBM Chemicals and Petroleum Industry, visit www.ibm.com/industries/chemicalspetroleum/

Note to Editors:

IBM has a proven track record of providing world-class solutions to both upstream and downstream companies in the oil and gas industry. This commitment is demonstrated at five IBM centers of excellence, located in various countries around the world, which have opened over the past two years.

March 7, 2007 - IBM Oil Sands Centre of Excellence opens in Calgary, Alberta. Located in IBM's Calgary offices, the Centre will focus on technologies designed to improve oil sands development projects; from construction and project management, to labor productivity, process optimization and environmental management. Technologies available at the Oil Sands Centre of Excellence include Asset Lifecycle Management, Deep Computing Visualization, Intelligent Plant, and Supply Chain Management.

December 13, 2006 - Energy Competency Center opens in Beijing, China. China's first Energy Competency Center (ECC), a joint effort by IBM and Intel, located in the Beijing Shangdi Information Industry Base. Technologies available at the ECC Beijing include Deep Computing Visualization, Grid Computing and Virtualization.

November 15, 2006 - IBM Centre of Excellence for Oil & Gas opens in Stavanger, Norway. The hub for IBM's oil and gas related activities in Northeast Europe and Russia, the Middle East and South Africa, the Centre is developing industry-targeted solutions, with a focus on Integrated Operations. The Stavanger Centre of Excellence will also collaborate with the IBM TJ Watson Research Center in the United States, which has developed technologies and business processes focused on Intelligent Oilfields.

April 28, 2005 - Energy Competency Center opens in Moscow, Russia. Russia's first energy competency centre established jointly by IBM and Intel, enables oil, gas and service companies to test and optimize technological solutions. Technologies available at the ECC Moscow -- located in IBM's Moscow offices - include Deep Computing Visualization, and IBM cluster technologies.

February 20, 2005 - Energy Competency Center opens in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Originally established in 2002 as a joint initiative between IBM and Intel, the ECC Abu Dhabi is the Middle East's only centre of its kind, and is located at the Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT) Centre of Excellence for applied Research and Training (CERT) in Abu Dhabi. Technologies available at the ECC Abu Dhabi include Deep Computing Visualization, Grid Computing, digital enablement of key assets to enable real time monitoring and alerts, as well as Asset Lifecycle Management.