Group 1 - The company raised its full-year outlook after reporting strong third-quarter results, with revenue growth exceeding 7% and free cash flow projected at approximately $14 billion [1][6] - Key drivers for the improved guidance include a booming AI business, strong software growth, and significant contributions from the mainframe systems [2][9] - The latest mainframe, the z17, emphasizes AI capabilities, featuring a built-in AI accelerator that can perform 450 billion inferencing operations daily [5][4] Group 2 - The launch of the z17 mainframe triggered an upgrade cycle, resulting in a 59% increase in mainframe revenue and a 15% rise in overall infrastructure revenue year over year [6][7] - This quarter marked the best revenue performance for the mainframe business in nearly two decades, with expectations of continued revenue growth following the launch [7][9] - The mainframe business's strength improved the infrastructure segment's profit margin by 4.2 percentage points to 18.1%, contributing to the overall increase in free cash flow outlook [8][9]

Core Insights - IBM shares are experiencing a premarket increase following a strategic partnership with Anthropic to enhance enterprise-grade AI by integrating Anthropic's Claude LLMs into IBM's software suite [1] - The collaboration aims to improve productivity while ensuring security, governance, and cost management throughout the software development lifecycle [1] Group 1: Strategic Partnership and Product Development - The partnership will see Claude integrated into select IBM software products, starting with a new AI-first integrated development environment (IDE) tailored for enterprise software lifecycles and modernization [1] - The IDE is currently in private preview for select clients and is being utilized by over 6,000 early adopters at IBM, who reported an average productivity increase of 45%, leading to significant cost savings while maintaining high standards of code quality and security [2] Group 2: AI and Cloud Innovations - IBM's agentic AI strategy focuses on watsonx Orchestrate, a tool-agnostic platform featuring over 500 customizable agents for scalable AI deployment [3] - The introduction of watsonx Assistant for Z aims to enhance proactive mainframe management and streamline workflows, emphasizing automation, productivity, and security [3] Group 3: Projects and Future Directions - Following the acquisition of HashiCorp, IBM launched Project Infragraph, an intelligent control plane designed to unify observability and address tool sprawl and data silos in hybrid and multi-cloud environments [4] - Project Bob, currently in private tech preview, is an AI-first IDE aimed at improving enterprise software development and modernization with advanced task-generation capabilities across the software development lifecycle [5] Group 4: Market Performance - IBM shares have risen by 4.32%, reaching $302.00 in premarket trading [5]

Core Insights - IBM plans to invest $150 billion in America over the next five years to enhance its role in global computing and stimulate the economy [1] - The investment includes over $30 billion dedicated to research and development for mainframe and quantum computer manufacturing in the U.S. [1] - IBM emphasizes its commitment to American jobs and manufacturing, aiming to maintain its leadership in advanced computing and AI capabilities [1] Investment and Economic Impact - The investment is expected to create new economic opportunities in the U.S. and globally, reinforcing IBM's commitment to innovation [4] - IBM's mainframes, manufactured in Poughkeepsie, New York, handle over 70% of the world's transactions by value, highlighting their critical role in the economy [2] Quantum Computing Initiatives - IBM operates the world's largest fleet of quantum computer systems, with plans to continue designing and assembling these systems in America [3] - Quantum computing is identified as a significant technological shift that will address problems beyond the capabilities of conventional computers, enhancing American competitiveness and national security [3] - IBM's Quantum Network provides access to quantum systems for nearly 300 Fortune 500 companies and has over 600,000 active users [3]

International Business Machines Corporation IBM will release earnings results for the first quarter, after the closing bell on Wednesday, April 22. IBM shares rose 2% to close at $240.90 on Tuesday. Benzinga readers can access the latest analyst ratings on the Analyst Stock Ratings page. Readers can sort by stock ticker, company name, analyst firm, rating change or other variables. Let's have a look at how Benzinga's most-accurate analysts have rated the company in the recent period. Considering buying IBM ...

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 ...