IBM makes AI breakthrough

A technology architecture that IBM calls the intelligent data fabric means that its customers will be able to access, integrate and manage data without ever having to move it, regardless of where the data resides or how it is stored. And that, in turn, provides the platform for advances in artificial intelligence (AI), hybrid cloud, and quantum computing that allow for distributed queries that run eight times faster at nearly half the cost compared to alternatives. A set of announcements around these capabilities were made at the company’s Think conference, held virtually last week.

“We will look back on this year and last as the moment the world entered the digital century in full force,” said IBM chairman and CEO Arvind Krishna. “In the same way that we electrified factories and machines in the past century, we will use hybrid cloud to infuse AI into software and systems in the 21st century.

“One thing is certain: this is a future that must be built on a foundation of deep industry collaboration.”

IBM says it is all-in on hybrid cloud and AI, “because we understand that businesses need a clear and credible path to modernising their mission-critical systems”.

A new IBM study on the adoption of AI for business reveals that the imperative to embed AI into business processes became more urgent during the pandemic. Of IT professionals surveyed, 43% said that their companies had accelerated their rollout of AI. And nearly half of global IT professionals surveyed said they evaluate AI providers in large part on their ability to automate processes.

IBM provided the following information on innovations unveiled at Think:

New capabilities bring data and AI together:

• AI to help automate how customers access, unify and manage data anywhere with Cloud Pak for Data: A breakthrough capability in Cloud Pak for Data that uses AI to help customers get answers to distributed queries as much as 8x faster than previously and at nearly half the cost of other compared data warehouses. AutoSQL (Structured Query Language) automates how customers access, integrate and manage data without ever having to move it, regardless of where the data resides or how it is stored. AutoSQL solves one of the most critical pain points customers are facing as they look to reduce the complexity of curating data for AI and eliminate the high cost of moving data, while also uncovering hidden insights to make more accurate AI-driven predictions. With the launch of AutoSQL, IBM Cloud Pak for Data now includes the highest-performing cloud data warehouse on the market (based on our benchmarking study) that can run seamlessly across any hybrid multi-cloud environment – including private clouds, on-premises and any public cloud. AutoSQL will be one of several new technologies woven into a new data fabric in the Cloud Pak for Data. The new intelligent data fabric will automate complex data management tasks by using AI to discover, understand, access and protect distributed data across multiple environments, while unifying disparate data sources across a common data foundation. For more information, read the blog: 5 Things to Know about Cloud Pak for Data and New Data Fabric.
• Watson orchestrate helps professionals automate work to increase productivity: Watson Orchestrate is a new interactive AI capability designed to increase the personal productivity of business professionals across sales, human resources, operations and more. Requiring no IT skills to use, Watson Orchestrate enables professionals to initiate work in a very human way, using collaboration tools such as Slack and email in natural language. It also connects to popular business applications like Salesforce, SAP and Workday. Watson Orchestrate uses a powerful AI engine that automatically selects and sequences the pre-packaged skills needed to perform a task, and connects with applications, tools, data and history on-the-fly. This can help workers more quickly perform routine tasks, such as scheduling meetings or procuring approvals, or more mission-critical tasks, like preparing proposals or business plans. Watson Orchestrate is the latest AI-powered automation capability from IBM designed to help people reclaim a significant amount of their time to focus on more strategic tasks. It was developed by IBM Research and is now available in preview as part of the IBM Automation Cloud Paks and is expected to be generally available later this year. For more information, read the blog: 5 Things to Know about Watson Orchestrate.
• Maximo Mobile transforms the work of field technicians: IBM has launched Maximo Mobile, an easy-to-deploy mobile platform with IBM’s leading Maximo asset management solution at the core. Maximo Mobile is designed to transform the work of field technicians who maintain physical assets such as roads, bridges, production lines, power plants, refineries and more. A new, intuitive interface provides technicians with the right asset operational data at the right time. Even in the most remote locations, users can access Watson AI and in-depth organizational knowledge to easily solve complex issues. This powerful combination of AI, intelligent workflows, remote human assistance and access to digital twins puts decades of industry experience directly into the hands of technicians for safer, more efficient operations. For more information, watch the video: Empowering the Technician of the Future with Maximo Mobile.

Go to the next page to read how companies are using AI to transform how they develop, deploy, and operate their application sets.

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