EMC doubles China investment, opens R&D center

EMC will double its investment in China to US$1 billion by 2012, making it the second major U.S. technology company in a week to expand its commitment to the Asian giant.

The additional input will be used to open a new research and development center in Beijing, EMC's second in China. An existing center opened in Shanghai in 2006. The investment will also be put towards expanding the company's sales and service operations in the country. The move was announced by EMC Chairman, President and CEO Joe Tucci, during a visit to Beijing.

Earlier this week, Cisco Systems doubled its own financial commitment to China from US$8 billion to US$16 billion over the next three to five years, with the bulk of that coming from increased manufacturing and procurement, along with additional spending for venture capital and customer financing.