Oracle is to open a technology center in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan province, said Brian Mitchell, senior vice president of Oracle Asia Pacific, on Wednesday.

 

The company will work with local partners to develop IT products and solutions, and help businesses and government agencies to use more IT products, according to a memorandum of understanding signed between Oracle and Sichuan Information Industry Department.

 

Oracle will also upgrade its office in Chengdu, and provide internship and training opportunities for local university students, said Mitchell.

 

Meanwhile, the software giant will set up another branch in the neighboring city of Chongqing, as it expands into China's southwest.

 

Oracle is the second software company after Microsoft to set up a technology center in Chengdu, and also the second to open an office in Chongqing, following Hewlett-Packard.

 

Founded in 1977, Oracle has developed itself into one of the world's leading software suppliers and independent software companies. It was the first global software titan to enter the Chinese market in 1989.

 

(Xinhua News Agency November 17, 2006)