Summary:
- Lumen Technologies and IBM have partnered to develop AI solutions at the edge, combining IBM’s watsonx AI products with Lumen’s Edge Cloud infrastructure.
- The collaboration aims to address cost, latency, and security challenges, enabling real-time AI inferencing for industries like healthcare, retail, manufacturing, and financial services.
- Lumen’s low-latency edge network and multi-cloud architecture will support AI processing, with IBM Consulting acting as the preferred systems integrator to help clients scale AI deployments and optimize costs.
In a groundbreaking collaboration, Edge cloud provider Lumen Technologies and tech giant IBM have joined forces to pioneer the development of enterprise-grade AI solutions at the edge. By integrating IBM’s cutting-edge watsonx AI products with Lumen’s advanced Edge Cloud infrastructure, the partnership is set to revolutionize the way industries approach real-time AI inferencing.
The primary focus of this partnership lies in addressing key challenges such as cost, latency, and security, paving the way for industries like healthcare, retail, manufacturing, and financial services to leverage the power of AI closer to the source of data generation. Lumen’s ultra-low latency edge network, boasting less than 5ms response times, coupled with its robust multi-cloud architecture, will play a pivotal role in facilitating AI processing and reducing reliance on public cloud services.
To further enhance the efficacy of their collaboration, IBM Consulting will serve as the preferred systems integrator, assisting clients in scaling their AI deployments efficiently while optimizing costs. Ryan Asdourian, Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer at Lumen, emphasized the necessity for businesses to not just explore AI but to scale it rapidly, cost-effectively, and securely. By amalgamating IBM’s AI prowess with Lumen’s formidable network edge capabilities, the partnership aims to empower businesses to harness real-time intelligence wherever their data resides, fostering innovation and delivering enhanced customer experiences.
The collaborative efforts between Lumen and IBM will focus on practical applications of AI, such as AI-driven customer service, predictive maintenance, and intelligent supply chains, to provide businesses with quicker insights and facilitate smarter digital innovation. For instance, retailers can enhance their customer service by leveraging AI-powered digital assistants and visual inspection tools to curate personalized shopping experiences for their clientele.
In essence, the synergy between Lumen and IBM underscores the importance of bringing AI to the data rather than relocating data to AI, thereby ensuring compliance, control, and real-time performance. This alliance sets a new standard in the realm of AI solutions, emphasizing the significance of leveraging edge computing for enhanced efficiency and innovation in various industries.