IBM Rochester
| Company type | Multi-tenant technology complex |
|---|---|
| Industry | Technology, Computer hardware manufacturing |
| Founded | July 31, 1956 |
| Headquarters | Rochester , United States |
Area served | Global |
Key people | IBM CEO Thomas J. Watson Jr. (influential in location choice) |
| Products | AS/400 computer system, IBM i operating system, IBM Power Systems, IBM 3740 Data Entry System, IBM 5110 personal computer, Summit and Sierra supercomputers, RS/6000/System p |
| Owner | Industrial Realty Group (since 2018) |
Number of employees | 2,791 (2017) |
Rochester Technology Campus is a multi-tenant complex situated in Rochester, Minnesota. The original structure, crafted by Eero Saarinen, is distinguished by its blue panels, which draw inspiration from the Minnesota sky and pay homage to the first tenant’s nickname, Big Blue.
Initial Period
The choice of Rochester as the location was influenced by IBM CEO Thomas J. Watson Jr. to honor his World War II copilot, Leland Fiegel, a native of the area. Construction commenced on July 31, 1956. At its inception, the facility encompassed of floor area. Over time, expansions have increased the main campus size to , surpassing half the footprint of the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia.
The building was officially dedicated in 1958 and has experienced considerable enlargement since then.
Recent Progress
Workforce numbers at the site have varied but currently stand at more than double the levels seen in the 1950s.
On May 4, 2016, IBM revealed plans to consolidate its staff into eight buildings located on the east side of the campus while divesting other buildings to an external organization. This move followed several years of leasing space to spin-off entities such as HGST. Employee figures (excluding contractors) were recorded at 2,740 in 2013 and slightly increased to 2,791 by 2017, a significant decline from a peak exceeding 8,000.
In February 2018, Industrial Realty Group based in Los Angeles acquired the property.
During a community event on April 24, 2018, the site was officially renamed Rochester Technology Campus.
Products
Stretching nearly a mile in length, the facility is well-known for manufacturing the AS/400 computer system—an advancement from the System/38 that incorporated an integrated Relational Data Base Management System (RDBMS), which was state-of-the-art at its launch. The AS/400 was subsequently rebranded as the iSeries. The OS/400 operating system, now called IBM i, continues to be developed at this location.
Development of IBM Power Systems also takes place at Rochester.
While initial assembly of PureSystems occurred here, production has primarily shifted to facilities in New York and Mexico.
The site created the IBM 3740 Data Entry System in 1973 and began work on the IBM 5280 Distributed Data System before its manufacturing moved to Austin, TX in 1981 for commercial release. The emergence of personal computers led to a decline in demand for these systems by 1990.
Both development and manufacturing of the IBM 5110 personal computer were carried out at this campus.
IBM Rochester played a key role in developing the Summit and Sierra supercomputers.
The facility also contributed to advancements in RS/6000, now known as System p, along with innovations in hard disk technology.
Distinctions
The plant’s AS/400 division received the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award in 1990. In November 2004, it topped the TOP500 rankings with a prototype Blue Gene/L supercomputer housing 32,768 processors, achieving a performance of 70.72 teraflops. Its manufacturing volume is so large that if it operated as an independent entity, it would rank as the third-largest computer manufacturer globally.
Situated near U.S. Highway 52 in northwest Rochester, this facility was honored in 1990 by the National Building Museum as one of IBM’s significant architectural contributions to America’s built environment, alongside IBM’s headquarters in New York City and their building in Atlanta, Georgia.
Tenants
Hitachi Global Storage Technologies, originally separated from IBM Storage Technology, still occupies surplus on-site space through leasing arrangements. Together with the Mayo Clinic, the IBM facility continues to rank among Rochester's top employers, employing approximately 5,000 individuals as of 2002.
In 2019, Crenlo LLC secured a lease for a portion of the premises to transfer part of its EMCORE manufacturing operations, which function independently from Crenlo's Cab Manufacturing division. EMCORE was divested in 2021.