TechStuff Smart Talks with IBM: How Infrastructure is Powering the Age of AI
Jan 28, 2025
Ric Lewis, IBM’s Senior Vice President of Infrastructure, shares insights from his extensive career in product innovation. He discusses how hardware advancements enable large language models, highlighting the transformative power of AI in sectors like banking and retail. Lewis emphasizes the pivotal role of infrastructure in maximizing AI's potential, enhancing data management, and driving innovation. The conversation also touches on AI's integration in government, showcasing its impact on efficiency and customer experience. A compelling look at how infrastructure is reshaping the AI landscape!
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Rick Lewis's Career Path
- Rick Lewis worked at Hewlett Packard for 32 years, leading the software-defining cloud business.
- He retired, but IBM enticed him back with an opportunity he couldn't refuse.
Mainframe and AI
- The mainframe business is flourishing due to growing global transaction demand.
- IBM had been incorporating AI technology into mainframes years before ChatGPT.
AI Inflection Point
- AI's inflection point wasn't solely software; it was reaching a hardware capability threshold.
- This allowed brute-force matrix math, enabling large language models.