IBM partners AWS to launch new Innovation Lab in India

New Delhi:  IT major IBM on Tuesday announced expansion of its relationship with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to help more mutual clients operationalise and derive value from the latest technologies, including generative artificial intelligence (AI) and launched a new Innovation Lab at the IBM Client Experience Centre in Bengaluru.

According to the company, the lab is open to clients from around the world to explore joint IBM-AWS solutions and test prototypes and proofs of value that aim to help accelerate innovation across industries such as Banking and Financial Services, Automotive, Manufacturing, Energy and Utilities, Travel and Transportation, and Healthcare, among others.

The lab is divided into experience zones that focus on different technology areas underpinned by generative AI and machine learning.

"Clients can now experiment with the latest cloud-enabled technologies including generative AI in our lab, before actually implementing and scaling solutions on AWS," Anuj Malhotra, Vice President and Senior Partner, Growth Platforms, IBM India Client Innovation Centre for IBM Consulting, said in a statement.

"Our teams at the lab, consisting of technology and industry experts from IBM and AWS, will help build rapid prototypes that address client business and technology challenges," he added.

Moreover, the company said IBM has already built extensive expertise with AWS's generative AI services, including Amazon SageMaker and Amazon CodeWhisperer, and is one of the first AWS Partners to use Amazon Bedrock.

AI expertise and a deep understanding of AWS capabilities are critical for clients looking to implement generative AI, and IBM is already providing mutual clients with access to professionals.

With this announcement, IBM Consulting plans to train and skill 10,000 consultants on AWS generative AI services by the end of 2024.

They will have access to an exclusive, partner-only programme that provides training on the top use cases and best practices for client engagement with AWS generative AI services.

"Our customers are increasingly looking for the technical support and AI expertise they need to build and implement a generative AI strategy that drives business value from their entire cloud value chain," said Chris Niederman, Managing Director, Global Systems Integrators at AWS.