IBM: Local Partnerships Pivotal to Innovation, Growth in Today’s AI Age

KUALA LUMPUR: The IBM CEO study which surveyed more than 3,000 CEOs across 30 countries (including Malaysia) and 24 key industries has revealed that business leaders are changing their mindsets about artificial intelligence (AI): From that of “adding AI to operations” to “starting with AI as the base for innovation and growth”.

This stems from the belief that organisations with the most advanced generative AI (GenAI) stands to win from competitive advantages offered by increased efficiency, innovative capabilities, and enhanced decision-making processes. Some 75% of CEOs surveyed agreed with this stance.

GenAI is also expected to unlock an astounding estimated worth of US$113.4 billion in productive capacity, propelling Malaysia’s position as a high-income nation, according to Deputy Economy Minister Datuk Hanifah Hajar Taib.

This sense of urgency has brought forward a multitude of opportunities for forging new partnerships, emphasising the pivotal role of IT service providers in an enterprise’s transformation into a digital ecosystem.

In light of this, local IT business partners and distributors continue to act as a strategic extension of IBM Malaysia’s sales force, playing a crucial part in expanding the reach of the company, while deepening local knowledge and expertise, across the nation and driving growth across diverse industries, the company said in a statement to Malaysiakini.

IBM Managing Director and Technology Leader Dickson Woo said that with today’s complex and fast-paced innovation, no single company can navigate these challenges alone. (Pic – Woo is fourth from left, seen here at the recent 2024 IBM Partner Connect Night held at the Kuala Lumpur Hilton Hotel.)

“IBM is on a journey to double down on our commitment to the IBM Ecosystem. We have made significant investments in placing our ecosystem partners at the centre of our company’s go-to-market strategy,” said Woo.

“What’s more, we continue to work diligently to simplify the experience and be more essential to their businesses with improved and expanded tools and resources.”

Woo explained that local business partnerships enable companies to pool resources, share knowledge, and drive innovation, resulting in more effective problem-solving.

“This collective approach accelerates development cycles, reduces costs, and enhances the quality of technological offerings,” he said.

“At IBM, we believe that partnerships boost innovation by bringing together diverse perspectives and expertise. This diversity sparks creative solutions and drives technological advancements, essential in the fields of hybrid cloud and AI,” he added.

He cited IBM’s watsonx, a flagship AI and data platform, as a prime example of how collaboration drives innovation and productivity.

According to Woo, watsonx is being used by clients to revolutionise customer service, modernise legacy systems, and automate enterprise tasks, thereby enhancing efficiency and opening new market opportunities.

He emphasised that the synergy between AI technologies like watsonx and local business partnerships creates a powerful engine for growth and innovation.

Woo was speaking after IBM had celebrated significant milestones in its journey together at the 2024 IBM Partner Connect & Recognition event held recently at the Kuala Lumpur Hilton Hotel, and which was entitled “One Mission, One IBM, One Focus”.

The awards recognised IBM’s valued business partners and distributors who have demonstrated outstanding results in innovation and growth with IBM under 15 different categories.

“Collaboration is the key to innovation; therefore IBM’s investment in the ecosystem is deeper than ever before. By embracing this collaborative model, Malaysia’s companies can harness the full potential of AI, driving progress and creating unprecedented value,” Woo concluded.

This article was provided by IBM Malaysia.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.

Interested in having your press releases, exclusive interviews, or branded content articles on Malaysiakini? For more information, contact [email protected] or [email protected].