While International Business Machines (IBM -2.19%) generates most of its revenue from software and consulting services, the company's hardware business is still an important piece of the puzzle. IBM's mainframe systems, known for their extreme reliability, remain a workhorse in certain industries. Of the world's 50 top banks, 43 use IBM's mainframes to handle mission-critical workloads. Every two to three years, IBM refreshes its mainframe lineup with a new model that brings improved performance and expande ...

Core Insights - IBM's stock achieved a 13% gain in Q1 2025, outperforming the S&P 500 index, which only saw a 0.17% increase [1] - The company reported strong Q4 results with earnings of $3.92 per share, exceeding Wall Street estimates by $0.12, driven by growth in the Red Hat segment and interest in the WatsonX AI platform [2] - Long-term deals for generative AI products reached $5 billion, up from $3 billion, with management forecasting revenue growth to accelerate from 1% in 2024 to approximately 5% in 2025 [3] Financial Performance - IBM's stock rose over 14% following the Q4 earnings announcement, settling at a 13% increase by the end of the trading day [3] - The stock experienced a 5.2% increase on March 7, coinciding with the announcement of a new cloud computing research center in Romania, a collaboration with Amazon [4] - Over the past year, IBM's stock has gained 20%, while the S&P 500 has seen a 2% decline, with IBM's dividend yield at 3%, significantly higher than the market average [6] Strategic Developments - The partnership with Amazon is beneficial for IBM, as it provides consulting services for AWS contracts globally [5] - IBM's approach to generative AI, although initially slow, is now yielding positive results, with the stock trading at 3.3 times sales and 17 times free cash flow, making it an attractive investment option [7]

International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) announced that it acquired Hakkoda Inc., a prominent data consultancy provider, for an undisclosed amount. The acquisition is expected to strengthen IBM’s data expertise and augment its capability to support clients’ AI transformation initiatives.After a decade of digital transformation and rapid technological advancements, businesses are no longer just experimenting with digital tools, they are extensively incorporating these tools across their operations. ...

Core Insights - IBM z17 is designed to redefine AI at scale, enabling enterprises to process 100% of their transactions in real-time and handle 50% more AI inference operations per day compared to its predecessor, z16 [1][12] - The system supports over 250 AI use cases across various industries, enhancing business value through applications like loan risk mitigation and medical image analysis [1][2] Product Development - The IBM z17 is the result of five years of design and development, with over 300 patent applications filed and input from more than 100 clients [2] - It introduces multi-model AI capabilities, enhanced security features, and tools for improved system usability and management [2][3] AI Integration - The z17 integrates AI into the core of enterprise operations, providing the necessary software, processing power, and storage to operationalize AI quickly [3] - It features a second-generation on-chip AI accelerator, capable of performing over 450 billion inferencing operations daily with a response time of one millisecond [4][12] Future Enhancements - The IBM Spyre™ Accelerator, expected in Q4 2025, will further enhance AI compute capabilities, particularly for generative AI applications [4][6] - z/OS 3.2, the next version of IBM's operating system, will support hardware-accelerated AI capabilities and modern data access methods, set to release in Q3 2025 [5] Operational Efficiency - IBM Z Operations Unite will streamline operations by consolidating performance metrics and logs, enhancing anomaly detection and incident resolution [5] - The integration of AI assistants and agents aims to improve developer and IT operations efficiency [4][6] Security Features - IBM z17 enhances security and resiliency, incorporating AI-driven processes for incident remediation and case resolution [7][11] - New capabilities for discovering and classifying sensitive data will utilize natural language processing to protect mission-critical data [11] Storage Solutions - The 10th Generation IBM Storage DS8000 is designed to work seamlessly with IBM z17, providing optimized data performance and modular architecture for business growth [8] Availability - IBM z17 is set to be generally available on June 18, 2025, with the IBM Spyre™ Accelerator expected in Q4 2025 [9]

IBM is releasing the latest version of its mainframe hardware that includes new updates meant to accelerate AI adoption.The hardware and consulting company on Monday announced IBM z17, the latest version of its mainframe computer hardware. This fully encrypted mainframe is powered by an IBM Telum II processor and is designed for more than 250 AI use cases, the company says, including AI agents and generative AI. Mainframes might seem like old hat, but they’re used by 71% of Fortune 500 companies today, acc ...

International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) recently announced that it is collaborating with Masters tournament to launch a wide range of AI-native features to deliver an immersive digital experience for golf fans. The new features will be available on Masters App and Masters.com ahead of the 89th Master’s tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. Since the introduction of Masters.com in 1996, IBM solutions have been the cornerstone of delivering world-class digital experiences to golf viewers worldwi ...

An updated edition of the February 14, 2025 article.Artificial Intelligence (AI) enables machines to process vast amounts of data, recognize patterns and make autonomous decisions. AI is revolutionizing industries such as robotics, healthcare, finance, cybersecurity and e-commerce with its ability to mimic human intelligence through machine learning, deep learning and natural language processing. AI is gaining proliferation thanks to multimodal learning and growing context awareness. The emergence of Genera ...

Group 1 - IBM announced the acquisition of Hakkoda, a data and AI consultancy, to enhance its consulting capabilities in various industries including financial services, public sector, and healthcare [1][2] - The acquisition aligns with IBM's strategy to increase investments in AI and automation technologies, following previous acquisitions such as DataStax and HashiCorp [2] - In Q4 2024, IBM reported its largest revenue increase in five years, with AI bookings and sales exceeding $5 billion [3] Group 2 - Hakkoda, co-founded in 2021, specializes in helping clients migrate data to the cloud, particularly using the Snowflake data cloud, and has raised $5.6 million in venture capital [4] - Hakkoda's consultants from various regions will integrate into IBM Consulting as part of the acquisition [5] - Hakkoda's mission is to actively shape the transformation in the data consulting industry, aligning well with IBM's innovative heritage and client partnerships [6]

Core Insights - Spiking is participating in IBM Z Day: Special Edition, showcasing its AI-driven financial technology and TradeGPT as a transformative force in capital markets [1][6] - The event will feature a groundbreaking keynote announcement unveiling a new AI chip that TradeGPT will utilize for enhanced performance [2][3] - Spiking's CEO emphasizes the significance of this event for enterprise innovation and the potential of TradeGPT to deliver real-time capital market decisions [3][4] Event Highlights - The event will include specialized technical tracks and curated experiential journeys for attendees [2] - Participants can earn up to four prestigious IBM digital skills badges, enhancing their professional expertise [2] - The latest IBM mainframe, zNext, will support TradeGPT with up to 8x on-chip AI processors per core, improving scale, speed, and security [5] Strategic Alignment - Spiking aims to scale its operations to volumes comparable to OpenAI, leveraging IBM's latest offerings for enterprise-scale solutions [4][6] - The collaboration with IBM provides a platform for connecting with global thought leaders and showcasing innovations in AI, hybrid cloud, and post-quantum security [6] Company Overview - Spiking is recognized as a leader in AI-driven financial technology, providing real-time, intelligent solutions for capital markets through its flagship product, TradeGPT [8]

ARMONK, N.Y., April 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced it has acquired Hakkoda Inc., a leading global data and AI consultancy. Hakkoda will expand IBM Consulting's data transformation services portfolio, adding specialized data platform expertise to help clients get their data ready to fuel AI-powered business operations.Hakkoda has leading capabilities in migrating, modernizing, and monetizing data estates and is an award-winning Snowflake partner. This acquisition amplifies IBM's abil ...