Thiruvananthapuram, July 21 (IANS) Global IT majors IBM and Oracle are planning to set up units at the Technopark here, official sources said Tuesday.

An official of the state IT department said the two companies had begun exploratory talks to set up shop at the technology park.

"We feel that this endeavour by these IT companies is part of their strategy to move into tier-II (smaller)cities in the country and they are seriously considering Technopark. We feel positive about their efforts and if this happens then it would be a major boost to the industry in the state," said the official, who did not wish to be identified.

Technopark began operations in the late nineties and is now home to 185 IT companies, including Infosys and TCS, which employ more than 30,000 people.

"IBM and Oracle are looking to have units which would employ more than 4,000 employees. This would give a huge boost to our efforts to make Kerala as the fastest growing IT destination in the country," said the official.