Fujitsu to boost investment in cloud computing business

TOKYO —

Fujitsu Ltd will boost investment in cloud computing to 100 billion yen in fiscal 2010, from 65 billion yen in the previous year, as the business is expected to be at the center of future growth. ‘‘We will invest 100 billion yen, which accounts for 25 percent of spending on capital investment, and research and development costs in fiscal 2010, in the cloud computing-related business,’’ Fujitsu Ltd President Masami Yamamoto told a news conference on the company’s management strategy.
 
‘‘This is because the center of profit growth in the mid- and long-term lies in cloud computing,’’ which allows software and stored data to be accessed remotely via the Internet, he said.
   
The company said it also plans to nurture about 5,000 cloud computing experts by the end of fiscal 2011, while setting up a data center in southern China by the end of the fiscal year through March 2012 to accelerate its cloud computing business in the country.
Fujitsu has set a sales target for the cloud computing-related business of between 1.30 trillion yen and 1.50 trillion yen in fiscal 2015, Yamamoto said.
   
Yamamoto also showed eagerness to engage in mergers and acquisitions to enhance Fujitsu’s businesses in areas such as software, saying that the company is aiming to boost alliances with various global partners.
   
On Fujitsu’s mobile phone business, in which the company and Toshiba Corp recently agreed to integrate, Yamamoto said it is first aiming to build a strong base in the Japanese market.
   
‘‘We would like to cautiously proceed with (advancing into overseas markets) by monitoring the possibility of new mobile handsets overseas centering on smartphones toward 2011 and 2012,’’ Yamamoto said.