International Business Machines Corp Stock Price, News & Analysis

IBM released a global study revealing significant AI investment trends in retail and consumer products companies. The report shows that 81% of executives and 96% of their teams are already using AI substantially, with companies projecting to allocate 3.32% of revenue to AI by 2025 - equivalent to $33.2M annually for a $1B company.

Key findings indicate AI spending outside traditional IT could surge by 52% in the next year. Companies plan to expand AI usage in sophisticated areas like integrated business planning, expecting an 82% increase by 2025. Customer service AI applications could grow by 236% in the next 12 months, with 55% involving human-AI collaboration.

The study also highlights a significant governance gap: while 87% of executives claim to have AI governance frameworks, less than 25% have fully implemented risk management tools. Companies expect 31% of employees will need AI-related reskilling within a year, rising to 45% within three years.

IBM has released its education forecast for 2025, highlighting three key predictions for AI skills development. According to a recent IBM report, 87% of executives expect jobs to be augmented rather than replaced by generative AI, while 47% indicate their workforce lacks AI implementation skills.

The forecast outlines three main predictions: First, AI ethics skills will become important as education shifts from traditional AI tools to AI agents. Second, lifelong learning will become essential as employees transition to managing AI agents and adapt to emerging technologies. Third, AI integration into education platforms will increase, offering personalized learning pathways and enhanced educational experiences.

Through IBM SkillsBuild, the company offers free courses in AI ethics, artificial intelligence basics, and prompt writing. IBM has committed to training 2 million learners in AI by 2026.

IBM's new study reveals strong adoption of AI strategies among companies, with 85% reporting progress in their 2024 AI implementation and 47% achieving positive ROI. The research, surveying over 2,400 IT decision makers, highlights a growing trend toward open-source AI tools, with 51% of companies using these tools reporting positive ROI compared to 41% of non-users.

Looking ahead to 2025, 62% of respondents plan to increase AI investments, with 39% planning increases of 25-50%. Companies are focusing AI investments primarily on IT operations (63%), data quality management (46%), and product/services innovation (41%). The study also found that 60% of surveyed companies use open-source ecosystems, with larger companies more likely to base the majority of their AI solutions on open source.

Lockheed Martin is integrating IBM's Granite large language models (LLMs) into its AI Factory tools, accessed by over 10,000 developers and engineers. This integration aims to enhance defense and aerospace capabilities by accelerating deployment times from months to weeks.

The collaboration will empower Lockheed Martin's workforce with advanced code, language, reasoning, and guardrail capabilities to customize assistants and agents, enhance national security missions, and accelerate business transformation. The implementation aligns with U.S. Defense Department's AI Ethics principles and includes comprehensive internal AI ethics training for employees.

IBM and the Emerging Technology Advisory Board (ETAB) released their first report outlining recommendations to establish New York as an AI leader. The board, co-chaired by IBM CEO Arvind Krishna and Girls Who Code CEO Dr. Tarika Barrett, was established by Governor Kathy Hochul in June 2024.

The report, developed with input from over 40 stakeholders, highlights New York's advantages in AI advancement, including its economy, tech talent, and academic excellence. It proposes three main ambitions: enabling businesses to deploy AI responsibly at scale, supporting the AI ecosystem through upskilling, and ensuring worker success in the AI landscape.

The ETAB provided nine recommendations focusing on public-private partnerships and responsible AI adoption, addressing challenges such as workforce preparation for the AI era.

IBM and the State of Illinois announced a collaboration to establish the National Quantum Algorithm Center in Chicago's Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park (IQMP). The center will feature IBM's next-generation Quantum System Two, powered by IBM Quantum Heron, planned for deployment in the coming year.

The initiative brings together IBM, the University of Chicago, and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign to advance quantum-centric supercomputing. The system will utilize Qiskit, IBM's quantum software, enabling users to execute complex quantum circuits for scientific research. The center aims to integrate quantum and classical computing to solve complex industry challenges previously inaccessible to traditional computing methods.

IBM's latest 'Automotive 2035' study reveals significant industry transitions, based on 1,230 executive interviews across 9 countries. Key findings show that 80% of new cars will have electrified powertrains by 2035, while 74% of executives believe vehicles will be software-defined and AI-powered. The study highlights a major shift from one-time sales to recurring revenue models through digital services.

R&D budgets for software and digital developments are expected to nearly triple from 21% to 58% by 2035. However, challenges persist, with 77% of executives reporting a lack of software development tools and 74% citing difficulties in transitioning from mechanical to software-driven development. The industry faces technical challenges in separating software and hardware layers while aiming to deliver personalized user experiences.

IBM has unveiled breakthrough research in co-packaged optics (CPO) technology that could revolutionize data center operations for AI applications. The innovation enables connectivity at the speed of light through polymer optical waveguide (PWG), potentially replacing electrical interconnects in data centers.

Key benefits include:

• Over 5x power reduction compared to electrical interconnects
• Up to 5x faster AI model training
• 80x faster bandwidth for chip-to-chip communication
• 6x more optical fibers at silicon photonics chip edge

The technology has passed all required manufacturing stress tests and could significantly reduce energy consumption while accelerating AI processing. The research was conducted at IBM's facilities in Albany, NY and Bromont, Quebec.

IBM has announced it will host an Investor Day on February 4, 2025, in New York City, starting at 1PM ET. The event will feature presentations from Chairman, President and CEO Arvind Krishna, CFO James J. Kavanaugh, and other senior leadership team members who will discuss the company's strategy and key initiatives. The event will be accessible via webcast on IBM's investor relations website, with an accompanying investor presentation to be made available following the event.