Ric Lewis, IBM’s Senior Vice President of Infrastructure, shares insights from his extensive career in product innovation. He discusses how hardware advancements, like GPUs, are essential for the math driving AI, enabling businesses from banks to coffee shops to unlock transformative data capabilities. The conversation touches on the evolving landscape of IT, the vital role of infrastructure in supporting AI, and the challenges and opportunities faced by small businesses and government agencies in harnessing this technology.
The podcast highlights how advancements in hardware capabilities, particularly in GPUs, are crucial for efficiently processing large datasets in AI applications.
It emphasizes the importance of robust infrastructure for managing the overwhelming increase in data, enabling businesses to extract valuable insights for growth.
The discussion reveals that mainframe technology, contrary to popular belief, remains relevant and is innovating, especially through the integration of AI capabilities for transaction processing.
Deep dives
The Importance of Open AI
The podcast emphasizes the concept of open artificial intelligence and its significant implications for businesses. Open AI refers to the notion of making AI accessible and collaborative, which can lead to groundbreaking innovations and solutions. This approach allows organizations to leverage shared knowledge and resources, enabling them to maximize the potential benefits of AI technologies. By adopting an open mindset, companies can foster creativity and agility in responding to new challenges and opportunities in the digital landscape.
Infrastructure Challenges in Data Management
Companies today face an overwhelming increase in data, which presents both challenges and opportunities. The proliferation of data necessitates robust infrastructure capable of managing, storing, and analyzing this information efficiently. Proper infrastructure solutions can optimize data usage, helping organizations extract valuable insights that will drive business growth and innovation. This conversation underscores the need for businesses to invest in advanced data storage and processing capabilities to stay competitive in an increasingly data-driven world.
The Evolution of AI Hardware
The discussion highlights the critical role of hardware advancements in fueling the growth of AI technologies. Significant increases in computing power and improvements in hardware efficiency, particularly regarding GPUs, have enabled the development of complex AI models. As hardware capabilities have evolved, they have allowed for more effective and efficient processing of large datasets, making it practical to implement AI solutions. This evolution has shifted the perception of AI from a purely software-driven field to one that deeply relies on robust supporting hardware.
Changing Perspectives on Mainframe Technology
Contrary to popular belief that mainframe technology is declining, the podcast reveals that it remains strong and continues to innovate. Mainframes play an essential role in processing a significant volume of global transactions, particularly in financial sectors. The conversation shows that advancements in mainframe technology, including the integration of AI capabilities, position them as valuable assets for modern businesses. This shift challenges previous assumptions and highlights the ongoing relevance of mainframe systems in today’s technology landscape.
AI's Role in Enhancing Customer Experience
The dialogue underscores AI's potential to significantly enhance customer interactions and support processes. By implementing AI-driven solutions, companies can streamline their customer service operations and provide faster, more accurate assistance. This capability not only increases customer satisfaction but also enables businesses to operate more efficiently by reducing the time spent resolving issues. The focus on improving customer experience through AI technologies illustrates a trend toward leveraging technical innovations to foster better relationships with clients.
In this episode of Smart Talks with IBM, Malcolm Gladwell speaks with Ric Lewis, IBM’s Senior Vice President of Infrastructure. They discuss how hardware capability has enabled the matrix math required to run large language models. Furthermore, they delve into some creative examples of how to put AI to work: from your bank to your local coffee shop. Ric underscores the importance of infrastructure in unlocking the potential of AI, helping businesses harness their data to drive transformative outcomes.
This is a paid advertisement from IBM. The conversations on this podcast don't necessarily represent IBM's positions, strategies or opinions.
