Amid the gloom of layoffs, Fujitsu is hiring and acquiring • The Register

Japanese IT companies big Fujitsu introduced on Wednesday that not solely does it plan to rent 1,600 staff, additionally it is buying German software-for-retailers supplier GK Software program to develop its cloud and software-as-a-service enterprise.

Fujitsu already owned 40 p.c of GK Software program and pays $460 million to scoop the remainder. The takeover is predicted to finish in July of this 12 months.

Fujitsu explained [PDF] that the acquisition “will enable GK to proceed to thrive within the cloud companies for retail house and to higher serve its clients.”

Germany-based GK Software program has plans to increase internationally in Japan, Asia, the Americas and Europe, and its Japanese proprietor has no intention of adjusting these plans – nor of shifting its HQ from the town of Schoeneck. Fujitsu will even present it with entry to AI and excessive efficiency computing tech.

The IT companies big mentioned the transaction will additional its Uvance technique – Fujitsu-speak for digital transformation and the belongings that assist it to ship them.

The 1,600 additional employees the corporate plans to rent throughout the 2023 and 2024 fiscal years will likely be put to work on computing, networking, AI, information & safety, and converging applied sciences. The behemoth declared its willingness to upskill “high-potential recruits” for the roles.

In FY 2023, the corporate goals to recruit 800 mid-career professionals. The remaining 800 hires will happen in 2024 and will likely be new graduates.

Whereas 1,600 hires is a beautiful huge quantity – and greater than welcome amid layoffs within the tech sector – Fujitsu’s earlier plan for graduate hires known as for 1,000 to return aboard in 2023. So the truth is that hiring of newbies has been decreased, and deferred.

On the finish of FY 2021, Fujitsu reported having over 124,000 whole staff. The quantity had been steadily declining for a lot of years.

Nevertheless, the agency flagged its intention to make acquisitions in January 2023, when CFO Takeshi Isobe instructed traders throughout a Q&A session [PDF]: “it’s tough to make an acquisition in Japan, so we’re additionally contemplating transactions outdoors of Japan.”

“We’re contemplating acquisitions as only one method of acquiring capabilities which are aligned with our function and precedence enterprise areas,” added Isobe.

GK Software program clearly match the invoice.

The CFO mentioned Fujitsu was contemplating narrowing its focus to particular enterprise areas. The large group continues to have its fingers in many alternative piles – from quantum computers to the metaverse.

Earlier this week Fujitsu joined 9 different Japanese entities in a collaboration to create an advertiser-friendly immersive gaming setting dubbed the “Japan Metaverse Financial Zone.” ®