US open source software provider Novell had established an authorized customer support center for China in Shenzhen, the company announced Friday.

In the first phase, Novell will invest 2.5 million yuan (US$310,000) in the center and it plans to spend a total of 10 million yuan over the next five years. Novell will use the center to build wide-ranging partnerships with Chinese companies, which will become authorized service providers for Novell clients. Novell also said it would recruit all its technical engineers from China, and hence cultivate local open source development talent.

(Shenzhen Daily September 9, 2005)