A deal to sell a good-sized portion of IBM’s server business to Lenovo could be announced any time Friday, a source close to the matter tells WRALTechWire.

And if a deal is made, it will have a big impact in the Triangle with IBM (NYSE: IBM) labs in RTP possibly switching to Lenovo control. Lenovo, which acquired IBM’s PC business that was largely based in Raleigh in 2005, operates its executive headquarters in Morrisville and a production plant in the Triad where it produces servers as well as PCs.

Neither company is talking, but since reports surfaced last week that a deal could take place the intensity of the reports has only increased.

Lenovo has confirmed to the Hong Kong stock exchange where its shares are traded that it is talks about making an acquisition. ”As at the date of this announcement, no material terms concerning the potential acquisition have been agreed,” the company said in the statement a week ago, according to Reuters.

Technology business publication CRN, which broke the possible IBM server sale last week, reported late Thursday that talks between Lenovo and Big Blue were “moving quickly.”

A deal would fit with Lenovo’s strategy of expanding beyond its traditional focus of PCs in the “Plus-Plus” strategy as directed by Chairman and CEO Yang Yuanqing.

However, Lenovo is not expected to acquire all IBM’s server business in a deal that could cost as much as $6 billion. Rather, a sale is expected to include less-costly X86 servers.

“This week, support teams at IBM’s ‘SuperLab’ in Research Triangle Park, N.C., which develop server firmware and other utilities for IBM’s x86 and other server lines, were informed that they’ll be transferring to Lenovo,” CRN reported, citing sources.

While IBM has over recent years been getting out of the hardware business (as demonstrated by the PC sale to Lenovo), the movement accelerated in recent months as server sales for Big Blue slowed. A poor earnings report for the first quarter was largely the result of dropping hardware performance, and Rod Adkins, head of hardware, was moved to a new job this week by Chairman and CEO Ginny Rometty.

IBM’s CFO also promised last week to spend $1 billion in “rebalancing” the company with most of that expenditure to come this quarter.

IBM employs some 10,000 people across North Carolina with some 7,500 in RTP.

[LENOVO ARCHIVE: Check out eight years of Lenovo stories as reported in WRAL Tech Wire.]

[IBM ARCHIVE: Check out more than a decade of IBM stories as reported in WRAL Tech Wire.]