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HCM CITY (Biz Hub) – IBM on Thursday announced that it had been named the leader in the Smart City Suppliers market by Navigant Research, a leading market research and consulting team that provides in-depth analysis of global clean-technology markets in the US.

In Viet Nam, the country has worked with Ha Noi, HCM City and Da Nang to support plans to develop "smart cities".

Tran Mai Huong, director of the IBM Viet Nam's country executive, government and banking division, said that IBM's works on a range of initiatives, from massive and complex strategic projects to highly focused initiatives using proven solutions that deliver measurable returns on investment.

IBM works with thousands of cities such as Singapore, Stockholm and Brisbane, Australia to help transform their systems and provide better service to citizens.

"IBM's commitment to smart cities has become a key component of its broader smarter planet strategy. Its continued investment in research and development, products and city engagements has allowed it to maintain its leadership position despite the growing number of heavyweight competitors," according to Navigant Research.

The new Navigant Research leaderboard report on smart city suppliers examines the world's leading companies that support smarter-cities projects, including energy, water, transportation, building management and government services.

The report specifically compares companies that provide an integrated approach to city operations, technologies and solutions.

Mass urbanisation, innovations and new intelligence are changing the look of cities and challenging the next generation of leaders with opportunities in public safety, healthcare, transportation, water and energy.

Navigant Research estimates that the global market for smart-cities technology will grow from  US$6.1 billion annually in 2012 to more than $20 billion in 2020, a compound annual growth rate of more than 16 percent.

This represents a cumulative investment of over $117 billion in smart-city technologies between 2012 and 2020. — VNS