IBM acquires consultancy Hakkoda as it continues its AI investment push

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]