Beijing, March 14, 2024 – Today, IBM held a media and analyst briefing in Beijing, where IBM Greater China Chairman and General Manager, Chen Xudong, along with senior executives from consulting, technology, and research and development departments, shared insights into the latest IBM Greater China strategy with attending media and analysts. The event also included discussions with industry-leading clients and partner representatives to explore insights and practices in enterprise AI applications, fostering new opportunities for mutual growth and collaboration.
Among the IBM spokespersons present at the event were: Chen Kedian, President of IBM Consulting Greater China; Miao Keyan, General Manager of IBM Greater China Technology Business Unit and IBM China General Manager; Xie Dong, Chief Technology Officer of IBM Greater China; Zhu Hui, General Manager of Technical Sales, IBM Greater China; Hou Xueming, General Manager of Supply Chain and Financial Transformation Services, IBM Consulting Greater China; Xu Weijie, General Manager of the Automotive Industry, IBM Greater China Technology Business Unit; Lin Lan, General Manager of Big Data and Artificial Intelligence Transformation, IBM Consulting Greater China; and Ji Yanyong, General Manager of IBM China Development Center.
Representatives from key clients and partners, including Cai Yingzhen, Vice President of Process and Transformation at Great Wall Motors; Zhang Lei, Founder and President of Yuanzhuo Micron Technology (Suzhou) Co., Ltd.; Li Gang, Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of Shenzhou Digital; and Liu Ran, Vice President of Strategic Development at Yima China, also participated in the sharing and discussions.
IBM in China Today: Convener of Open Ecosystems, Co-creator of Trusted Technologies
This year marks IBM's 40th year in the Chinese market. Over these four decades, IBM has been deeply rooted in the Chinese market, leveraging leading-edge technology products, end-to-end consulting services, and global management expertise to assist numerous Chinese enterprises in aligning their IT infrastructure with global standards, injecting momentum into the transformation and development of clients across various industries. Through collaboration and communication with Chinese clients and partners, IBM has gained valuable co-creation experience, high-quality talent resources, and the trust of various sectors of society.
As customers move towards digitalization and intelligence, IBM has further clarified its positioning: to be a convener of open ecosystems and a co-creator of trusted technologies. Chen Xudong, Chairman and General Manager of IBM Greater China, stated that over the past two years, IBM has continuously adjusted its positioning in response to changes in policies, markets, and customer needs, while also accelerating its transformation. "In 2024, our strategy in Greater China is very clear, focusing on unlocking the potential of key large clients, breaking into new markets, and vigorously expanding channels. IBM will continue to assist private enterprises represented by the automotive and multinational companies in China in exploring and applying generative AI through full-stack products and services to address new challenges in strategic transformation, business expansion, data governance, security, and compliance. At the same time, we will work with partners to build a full-value chain ecosystem, bringing IBM's innovative technologies and industry expertise to more enterprises."
IBM Consulting President of Greater China, Chen Kedian, remarked, "In 2023, IBM Consulting emerged as the fastest-growing consulting firm globally. This not only underscores the unique value of One IBM, which integrates consulting with technology, but also demonstrates the effectiveness of IBM Consulting's strategy of deepening relationships with core clients and growing together. In Greater China, IBM Consulting's strategic focus is crystal clear, aiming to facilitate AI implementation for clients to enhance their capabilities, drive global strategy towards the world, and build robust, secure, and scalable hybrid cloud architectures. If the past 15 years were about 'digitization leading to cloud,' the next 15 years will witness a pivotal moment for enterprise AI adoption. IBM Consulting not only brings years of accumulated industry insights, business expertise, and international perspectives to clients, sparking new AI application scenarios, but also offers end-to-end services from strategic consulting to operational implementation. Together with enterprises, we co-create future-facing AI capabilities and digital transformation pathways, unlocking greater business value and sustained growth."
IBM Greater China Region Technology Business Unit General Manager and IBM China General Manager, Miao Keyan, stated that IBM's technology platform, represented by large mainframes, has led the modernization of global banking systems for decades. Not only has it supported the rapid integration of China's banking industry with the global market in just over a decade, but it has also established a globally leading architectural framework in certain fields. "Today's IBM technology will leverage the 'three pillars' of software, hardware, and services, focusing on industries such as automotive, internet, and energy, to provide customers with intelligent, open, and robust technology platforms to embrace the AI wave. We will also continue to strengthen collaboration with IBM Consulting, bringing IBM's leading technology and industry expertise to even broader markets."
In today's IBM, innovative technologies are making their way to the market and into the hands of customers at an unprecedented speed, thanks to the deep-rooted dedication and transformation of our technical and R&D teams. IBM Greater China Region's Chief Technology Officer, Xie Dong, shared insights into the breakthroughs made by IBM China's R&D team over the past three decades in product development, technical collaboration, and today's business priorities. Xie Dong emphasized that in today's strategic landscape centered around hybrid cloud and AI, the Chinese R&D team remains a crucial part of IBM's global R&D ecosystem.
Facing the wave of generative AI, IBM swiftly responded based on years of technical accumulation and industry applications. Last August, IBM introduced the generative AI and data platform, Watsonx, tailored for the Greater China Region. "To expedite the implementation of Watsonx and generative AI, IBM China's R&D team is closely collaborating with business units, facilitating the integration of industry solutions, and partnering with allies to help enterprises accelerate the transformation of innovative technologies into productivity."
IBM Greater China Chief Technology Officer Xie Dong:
Seizing New Opportunities in Enterprise AI, Setting Industry Cooperation Benchmarks Together
Compared to the tip of the iceberg represented by consumer-grade AI technology, enterprise-level AI has broader demands and potentials. These encompass automation in HR, finance, and supply chain processes, as well as intelligent IT development and operations, security, and threat detection, among others. According to the "2023 Global AI Adoption Index" released by IBM in collaboration with Morning Consult, Chinese enterprises maintain a steady position in the forefront, with 85% expressing intentions to accelerate AI adoption in the future, the highest proportion globally. Skill shortages and data governance remain primary obstacles hindering the implementation of AI technologies in enterprises. Consequently, approximately 40% of global enterprises are still in the exploration and experimentation phase, yet to deploy AI capabilities.
As a global leader in enterprise AI technology and applications, IBM provides Chinese clients and partners with AI tool platforms such as WatsonX, along with consulting services. These aid them in rapidly training and deploying AI capabilities across various business scenarios while ensuring governance throughout the AI lifecycle. WatsonX seamlessly integrates with previously released Watson products, offering enterprise customers solutions ranging from traditional AI to the latest generative AI. Globally, thousands of enterprise clients are actively exploring and testing WatsonX, resulting in over 700 pilot projects, more than 500 successful contracts, and over 150 outstanding case demonstrations.
As a leading domestic high-tech company, Yuanzhuo Micron Technology, with the assistance of IBM and partner X-POWER, leverages IBM's WatsonX Assistant, Watson Discovery, and other solutions. In just two months, it has preliminarily established an ideal enterprise-level intelligent Q&A knowledge base. Furthermore, it integrates IBM's latest AI development platform, WatsonX.ai, to enhance answer accuracy and interactive experiences. This knowledge base not only assists aftersales engineers in efficiently solving customer issues but also empowers newly onboarded engineers from a research and development perspective, aiding them in quicker adaptation and self-improvement.
Caption:
Founder and CEO of SourceZhuo Nanotechnology (Suzhou) Co., Ltd., Zhang Lei (left), and IBM Greater China Technical Sales General Manager, Zhu Hui (right), engage in discussions with online and on-site media and analysts.
IBM Consulting's Greater China Region General Manager for Big Data and Artificial Intelligence Transformation, Lin Lan, emphasized the accelerating transformation of Chinese enterprises. As they seek business growth and global expansion, there's a growing demand for more efficient, reliable, and secure information technology. IBM's hybrid cloud and AI technologies offer a solution that allows embracing innovation with minimal cost, without the need to overhaul existing IT architectures. Leveraging IBM's industry expertise and global perspective, clients can navigate through technical barriers and constraints on their transformation journey.
In January of this year, IBM Consulting and the global intelligent technology company, Great Wall Motor Company Limited (GWM), signed a long-term cooperation agreement in the field of "process and digital transformation". This formalizes a long-term partnership between the two entities in the realms of digital transformation and global development. GWM is accelerating its evolution into a global intelligent technology company, becoming the first Chinese independent brand automobile enterprise to collaborate with IBM Consulting in building process and digital management systems. This collaboration marks a pioneering effort in the partnership between Chinese independent automotive brands and global-leading enterprise transformation service providers in this domain. With the leverage of global resources and the best practices in integrated global operations, IBM Consulting is poised to significantly contribute to GWM's advancement of its globalization strategy and its aspirations to become a globally excellent automotive enterprise.
Deepening Cooperation, Deep Integration, Embracing the AI Era
In today's rapidly changing technological landscape, traditional closed-loop innovation is being replaced by open innovation, making collaborative creation increasingly important. According to a study by the IBM Institute for Business Value, organizations invested in partner ecosystems can achieve 40% higher revenue growth compared to others, with every dollar invested in open innovation generating four times the revenue of traditional innovation methods. In the era of generative AI, these investments promise even higher returns and value.
In 2023, IBM launched the new partner program, IBM Partner Plus, which saw significant improvements in incentive plans, collaboration models, and achieved double-digit growth in the Greater China partner ecosystem. IBM also opened three major co-creation platforms (IBM Lu Ban Platform, IBM Garage Innovation Experience Center, IBM Innovation Experience Center) to empower partners from various dimensions including technology platforms, innovative methodologies, and customer experiences.
In 2024, in addition to continuing the momentum of Partner Plus, IBM will focus on products and regions, establishing and consolidating its core channel system. By combining their respective technical capabilities and customer market advantages, IBM and Shenzhou Digital will form a stronger alliance. Leveraging IBM's strengths in AI governance and strategic consulting, they will empower Shenzhou Digital's customers to achieve comprehensive business upgrades towards intelligence. Together, they will establish technology centers and specialized technical teams, delivering generative AI-based solutions to more clients in China and overseas. Additionally, IBM will collaborate with Infor China across its entire product line, seizing opportunities in multinational companies entering China and Chinese companies going global, deepening their presence in key regions such as the Yangtze River Delta and the Greater Bay Area. This collaboration aims to better provide technological empowerment and service support for the partner ecosystem, enhancing the overall value and competitiveness of joint solutions to meet the diverse needs of customers across different industries.
IBM: Driving Progress in China's AI Era
In a recent exchange with media and analysts, key figures including Li Gang, Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of Inspur, Liu Ran, Vice President of Strategic Development at Infinidat China, and Ji Yanyong, General Manager of IBM China Development Center, shared insights on the pivotal role of AI in China's technological advancement and industrial upgrading.
As AI emerges as a vital driver of China's tech landscape, IBM remains steadfast in its commitment to pioneering progress through technology. Looking ahead, Chen Xudong reaffirmed IBM's unwavering dedication to the Chinese market, acknowledging the coexistence of challenges and opportunities. "Facing new challenges and opportunities, we are ready to embark on a new journey, penetrate target markets, engage with prospective clients, and collaborate with partners to leverage our products and services for productivity in the AI era."
About IBM
IBM is a global leader in hybrid cloud, artificial intelligence, and enterprise services, empowering customers in over 175 countries to derive business insights, streamline operations, reduce costs, and gain competitive advantages from their data assets. Over 4,000 government entities and enterprises in critical infrastructure sectors such as financial services, telecommunications, and healthcare rely on IBM's hybrid cloud platform and Red Hat OpenShift for rapid, efficient, and secure digital transformation. IBM's breakthrough innovations in AI, quantum computing, industry cloud solutions, and enterprise services offer customers open and flexible choices. A longstanding commitment to corporate integrity, transparent governance, social responsibility, inclusive culture, and service excellence forms the cornerstone of IBM's business development.
