Siemens and Fujitsu to Partner in PC Global Operations

Japan's Nihon Keizai Shimbun newspaper reported recently that Fujitsu Ltd. of Japan and Siemens AG of Germany will collaborate their North America and Asia personal computer and server operations, as well as form a new joint operation in Europe. A spokesperson for the new venture, Fujitsu Siemens Computer BV, confirmed that an official announcement of the 50-50 joint venture will be made in Tokyo on Tuesday. This merger will reportedly create the fourth largest PC group in the world, and it is hoped that the joint venture may result in a significant percentage drop in the costs for notebook PCs, similar to the 30% drop in costs already instituted by these two giants when they standardized their desktop PCs earlier in the year. The joint venture is expected to help both companies compete with U.S.-based I.B.M. Corporation.