IBM accelerates push into 3D virtual worlds

ONDON (Reuters) - IBM is ramping up its push into virtual worlds with an investment of roughly $10 million over the next 12 months, including an expanded presence within the popular 3D online universe Second Life.ADVERTISEMENTChairman and Chief Executive Sam Palmisano is set to visit Second Life on Tuesday, following a "town hall" meeting with some 7,000 employees in China, and speak with the more than 250 IBM employees on one of the company's virtual islands.Second Life, where Reuters opened a bureau last month, is one of the best-known virtual worlds, with more than 1 million registered users and a well-established economy and currency. The equivalent of more than half a million U.S. dollars change hands there every day.IBM has already established the biggest Second Life presence of any Fortune 500 company. It uses the world primarilyfor training and meetings but has also built a simulation of theWimbledon tennis tournament.

IBM accelerates push into 3D virtual worlds - Yahoo! News