International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) is an American multinational technology corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, with operations in over 171 countries. IBM produces and sells computer hardware, middleware and software, and provides hosting and consulting services in areas ranging from mainframe computers to nanotechnology. IBM is also a major research organization, holding the record for most annual U.S. patents generated by a business (as of 2020) for 28 consecutive years.
IBM will require large capital expenditures on R&D if it wants to catch up with more significant market players, however relentless outsourcing at the helm of the previous CEO, Ginni Rometty, could have contributed to the decline of its once strong R&D culture.