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Ibm has gotten more media coverage in new deals this month.
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Rackspace to Reduce Intel Reliance With IBM-Led Group
By Jack Clark
December 16, 2014 11:00 AM EST
0
Rackspace Hosting Inc. (RAX)plans to reduce its dependence on Intel Corp. (INTC) chips by shifting to some server computers based on modified International Business Machine Corp. (IBM) processors.
The San Antonio, Texas-based company said it has joined a group of more than 80 organizations that are developing and using computer processors based on IBM’s “Power” designs. The designs are part of the OpenPower Foundation, which IBM formed with Google Inc., Nvidia Corp. and others in August 2013 to spur usage of its semiconductor technology. Avnet Inc., Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Tsinghua University and others are also joining the group, OpenPower said today.
Rackspace has been testing server computers based on IBM Power chip designs since February 2012 and has found “exceptional efficiency and performance benefits” for applications, said Aaron Sullivan, senior director for infrastructure strategy. The company intends to use thousands of server computers powered by IBM chip designs in the future, he said.
The move illustrates how Rackspace and others are trying to decrease their reliance on Intel for server chips. Intel’s share of that market has risen in recent years to 98 percent. The OpenPower alternative lets companies control more of the processor’s fundamental software, Sullivan said in an interview.
“We recognize it’s a competitive industry and we fully recognize and expect that the industry will, always has and always will, explore new options and experiment with those options,” said Mark Miller, a spokesman for Santa Clara, California-based Intel. “We’re confident that we’re going to continue to deliver what our customers need and help solve the industry’s big issues.”
Not ARM
Sullivan said the company has been surprised by how easy it has been to make Rackspace’s software work with the IBM-designed chips. He added that Rackspace chose to develop chips based on IBM’s Power rather than designs from U.K. semiconductor firm ARM Holdings Plc (ARM) because those chips didn’t do well in tests. ARM chips have traditionally been seen as the main alternative to Intel processors.
Rackspace’s involvement in OpenPower underlines how the technology industry has more options when contemplating alternatives to Intel.
“Having more choice is actually great,” said Gordon MacKean, chairman of OpenPower and a director of engineering at Google. “We’ve got interest in anything that’s viable.”
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Corporate cloud business is booming, after many years of hype...
IBM to increase global data centres by 25%
LONDON — IBM aims to expand the number of data centres it offers clients around the world by 25 per cent to meet fast-rising demand for Internet-based services, after what a company executive said has been a breakthrough year in 2014 for its cloud computing business.
IBM has quadrupled the number of cloud data facilities it offers around the world to 49 in the past 18 months, responding in part to laws requiring the local retention of data following revelations over United States government Web surveillance as well as advanced corporate compliance rules.
The company said on Wednesday it has now struck a partnership with data centre provider Equinix Inc for nine more cloud centres in Australia, France, Japan, Singapore, the Netherlands and the US. The company is also opening up three new cloud computer facilities of its own in Germany, Mexico and Japan.
...
http://www.todayonline.com/tech/ibm-incr...centres-25
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IBM is in a transition...
IBM profit forecast, fourth-quarter revenue below estimates
International Business Machines Corp posted a new 2015 profit target and quarterly revenue that both missed analysts' estimates, as the one-time world technology leader continues to grapple with its journey from low-margin hardware maker to the new world of cloud computing.Shares of IBM, which is still the world's largest technology services company, but no longer regarded as a leader in innovation, fell 1.6 percent to $154.48 in extended trading.
The Armonk, New York-based company has seen shrinking revenue for three years now as it sheds unprofitable businesses such as its low-end server unit and tries to focus on emerging areas such as security software and cloud services. But the new businesses have so far failed to make up for revenue lost to divestitures.
The company's annual revenue fell to $93 billion for 2014, from $107 billion in 2011. The company had no guarantee that it would not fall further.
"We're not interested in revenue for revenue's sake," IBM Chief Financial Officer Martin Schroeter told Reuters in a phone interview. "We'll continue to divest if something doesn't fit the model."
...
http://www.todayonline.com/business/ibm-...-estimates
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Class-action is a double edged sword...
IBM shareholder sues company, alleging it overvalued chip unit
NEW YORK - IBM Corp was sued on Monday by a shareholder that said it committed securities fraud by failing to write down a money-losing semiconductor unit before agreeing to pay another company $1.5 billion to take that unit off its hands.
The lawsuit filed in Manhattan federal court arose from IBM's announcement last Oct. 20 that it would sell the unit to GlobalFoundries Inc, and take a related $4.7 billion pre-tax charge.
IBM also announced third-quarter results that day. Its share price fell 9 percent over the next two trading days, wiping out more than $18 billion of market value.
The Armonk, New York-based company did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the suit. Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc is among IBM's largest shareholders.
According to the complaint, IBM inflated its stock price before selling the semiconductor unit by carrying the unit's property, plant and equipment assets on its books at $2.4 billion, when it should have known the assets were worthless.
The complaint said potential bidders had been unwilling to pay much more than $1 billion for the entire unit, including intellectual property and personnel, suggesting that the hard assets had no or negative market value.
The lawsuit by the City of Sterling Heights Police & Fire Retirement System in Michigan also named three IBM officials as defendants, including Chief Executive Virginia Rometty.
It seeks class-action status on behalf of shareholders from April 17 to Oct. 17, 2014.
...
http://www.todayonline.com/business/ibm-...-chip-unit
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The Watson is a very valuable asset of IBM... 
IBM creates Watson Health to analyse medical data
NEW YORK — IBM is taking its Watson artificial intelligence technology into healthcare in a big way with industry partners, a pair of acquisitions and an ambitious agenda.
The IT giant said on Monday it will initially partner with Apple, Johnson & Johnson and Medtronic for its Watson Health business unit. After the close of trading, IBM also announced it would buy two start-ups: Explorys, a spin-off from the Cleveland Clinic whose data on 50 million patients is used to spot patterns in diseases, treatments and outcomes; and Phytel, a Dallas maker of software to manage patient care and reduce readmission rates to hospitals.
IBM will deploy its Watson technology as a cloud-based service that taps vast stores of health data and delivers tailored insights to hospitals, physicians, insurers, researchers and potentially even individual patients.
“We are going to enable personalised healthcare on a huge scale,” said Mr John Kelly, a senior vice-president who oversees IBM’s research labs and new initiatives
...
http://www.todayonline.com/tech/ibm-crea...dical-data
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IBM biz will recover, once the corporate capex spending resumes...
IBM revenue falls more than expected, cuts profit forecast
International Business Machines Corp posted a bigger-than-expected drop in revenue and cut its full-year profit forecast, as a stronger U.S. dollar accentuated weakness in demand from China and emerging markets.
It was the 14th quarter in a row that IBM has posted a reduction in revenue, as the world's largest technology services company gets rid of low-margin businesses, but has so far failed to make up the shortfall with newer initiatives in the more lucrative area of cloud computing.
...
http://www.todayonline.com/business/ibm-...ht-quarter
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One more exploration on Blockchain...
IBM and Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ launches blockchain partnership
SINGAPORE (Sept 16): IBM is working with the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ (BTMU) to explore the use of blockchain technology in creating and managing business contracts and transactions.
The two partners hope to eke out efficiency by automating processes such as invoicing and payment.
...
http://www.theedgemarkets.com.sg/sg/arti...artnership
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21-03-2017, 01:45 AM
(This post was last modified: 21-03-2017, 08:32 AM by Wildreamz.)
https://trends.google.com.sg/trends/expl...Blockchain
Simply put, Blockchain technology is Internet 2.0. IBM is currently the largest player in Blockchain technology, has the tech, global reach, and cloud infrastructure to support, and scale it up rapidly. In addition, IBM is trading at a relatively low valuation, paying a large dividend, and has a long tradition of pro-investor policy.
Introduction to Blockchain:
IBM and Maersk (largest container ship operator and supply vessel operator in the world since 1996) on Blockchain and Supply Chain Management.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdhpYQCWnCw&t=47s
IBM and Walmart (largest company in the world by revenue) on Blockchain and Food Safety:
https://youtu.be/MMOF0G_2H0A
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Banking is the most likely sector disrupted by Blockchain. IBM is the top supplier to the banking sector. It seems very promising to IBM, IMHO
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(21-03-2017, 10:02 AM)YMPL Wrote: Banking is the most likely sector disrupted by Blockchain. IBM is the top supplier to the banking sector. It seems very promising to IBM, IMHO
Indeed, 90% of the largest banks in the world are already IBM existing customers. This is IBM's network effect (not unlike Apple's fan base, Facebook users etc).
Financial Institutions would most likely be impacted the most first, followed by healthcare, and any other form of supply chain. And we are still scratching the surface (lot's of potential synergy with IBM's IOT and Cloud offerings).
IBM's stock price doesn't seem to reflect their potential, and still trades around Warren Buffett's cost basis 6 years ago. Interesting.
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