Lumen and IBM Collaborate to Unlock Scalable AI for Businesses
Lumen Technologies and IBM have announced a strategic collaboration to develop enterprise-grade AI solutions at the edge, integrating IBM's watsonx AI portfolio with Lumen's Edge Cloud infrastructure. The partnership aims to enable real-time AI inferencing closer to data generation points, offering <5ms latency and direct cloud connectivity.
IBM Consulting will serve as the preferred systems integrator, helping clients scale deployments and reduce costs. The collaboration targets multiple industries including financial services, healthcare, manufacturing, and retail, focusing on enabling faster insights and lower operational costs. A practical example includes helping a major retailer enhance customer service through AI-driven digital assistants and visual inspection tools.
Lumen Technologies e IBM hanno annunciato una collaborazione strategica per sviluppare soluzioni AI di livello enterprise all'edge, integrando il portfolio AI watsonx di IBM con l'infrastruttura Edge Cloud di Lumen. La partnership mira a consentire inferenze AI in tempo reale più vicine ai punti di generazione dei dati, offrendo una latenza inferiore a 5ms e connettività diretta al cloud.
IBM Consulting sarà il system integrator preferito, supportando i clienti nell'espansione delle implementazioni e nella riduzione dei costi. La collaborazione si rivolge a diversi settori, tra cui servizi finanziari, sanità, manifatturiero e retail, con l'obiettivo di fornire insight più rapidi e ridurre i costi operativi. Un esempio concreto riguarda l'assistenza a un grande retailer per migliorare il servizio clienti tramite assistenti digitali basati su AI e strumenti di ispezione visiva.
Lumen Technologies e IBM han anunciado una colaboración estratégica para desarrollar soluciones de IA de nivel empresarial en el edge, integrando el portafolio de IA watsonx de IBM con la infraestructura Edge Cloud de Lumen. La asociación busca permitir inferencias de IA en tiempo real más cerca de los puntos de generación de datos, ofreciendo una latencia inferior a 5 ms y conectividad directa con la nube.
IBM Consulting será el integrador de sistemas preferido, ayudando a los clientes a escalar implementaciones y reducir costos. La colaboración se enfoca en múltiples industrias, incluyendo servicios financieros, salud, manufactura y retail, con el objetivo de ofrecer insights más rápidos y menores costos operativos. Un ejemplo práctico incluye ayudar a un gran minorista a mejorar el servicio al cliente mediante asistentes digitales impulsados por IA y herramientas de inspección visual.
Lumen Technologies와 IBM이 전략적 협력을 발표하여 IBM의 watsonx AI 포트폴리오를 Lumen의 Edge Cloud 인프라와 통합하여 엔터프라이즈급 엣지 AI 솔루션을 개발합니다. 이 파트너십은 데이터 생성 지점에 더 가까운 실시간 AI 추론을 가능하게 하여 5ms 미만의 지연 시간과 직접적인 클라우드 연결을 제공합니다.
IBM Consulting은 선호하는 시스템 통합업체로서 고객이 배포를 확장하고 비용을 절감할 수 있도록 지원합니다. 이 협력은 금융 서비스, 헬스케어, 제조, 소매 등 여러 산업을 대상으로 하며, 더 빠른 인사이트 제공과 운영 비용 절감에 중점을 둡니다. 실제 사례로는 주요 소매업체가 AI 기반 디지털 어시스턴트와 시각 검사 도구를 통해 고객 서비스를 향상하도록 돕는 것이 포함됩니다.
Lumen Technologies et IBM ont annoncé une collaboration stratégique pour développer des solutions d'IA de niveau entreprise en périphérie, intégrant le portefeuille d'IA watsonx d'IBM avec l'infrastructure Edge Cloud de Lumen. Ce partenariat vise à permettre des inférences d'IA en temps réel plus proches des points de génération des données, offrant une latence inférieure à 5 ms et une connectivité directe au cloud.
IBM Consulting agira en tant qu'intégrateur système privilégié, aidant les clients à étendre les déploiements et à réduire les coûts. La collaboration cible plusieurs secteurs, notamment les services financiers, la santé, la fabrication et la distribution, en se concentrant sur l'obtention d'informations plus rapides et la réduction des coûts opérationnels. Un exemple concret inclut l'aide apportée à un grand détaillant pour améliorer le service client grâce à des assistants numériques pilotés par l'IA et des outils d'inspection visuelle.
Lumen Technologies und IBM haben eine strategische Zusammenarbeit angekündigt, um unternehmensgerechte KI-Lösungen am Edge zu entwickeln, indem IBMs watsonx KI-Portfolio mit der Edge-Cloud-Infrastruktur von Lumen integriert wird. Die Partnerschaft zielt darauf ab, KI-Inferenz in Echtzeit näher an den Datenentstehungspunkten zu ermöglichen, mit einer Latenz von unter 5 ms und direkter Cloud-Anbindung.
IBM Consulting wird als bevorzugter Systemintegrator fungieren und Kunden dabei unterstützen, Implementierungen zu skalieren und Kosten zu senken. Die Zusammenarbeit richtet sich an verschiedene Branchen, darunter Finanzdienstleistungen, Gesundheitswesen, Fertigung und Einzelhandel, mit dem Fokus auf schnellere Erkenntnisse und geringere Betriebskosten. Ein praktisches Beispiel ist die Unterstützung eines großen Einzelhändlers bei der Verbesserung des Kundenservice durch KI-gesteuerte digitale Assistenten und visuelle Inspektionswerkzeuge.
- Integration of IBM's watsonx with Lumen's Edge Cloud infrastructure enables real-time AI processing
- Partnership offers <5ms latency and direct connectivity to major cloud providers
- Potential reduction in costs and risks associated with public cloud dependence
- IBM Consulting's involvement as preferred systems integrator adds implementation expertise
- None.
Insights
Lumen-IBM partnership combines edge infrastructure with watsonx AI to solve enterprise data processing challenges, creating new revenue opportunities for both companies.
The Lumen-IBM collaboration represents a strategic positioning at the intersection of two critical technology trends: generative AI and edge computing. By integrating IBM's watsonx AI portfolio with Lumen's edge infrastructure featuring
This partnership targets the growing "data gravity" problem, where moving large datasets to centralized cloud environments becomes increasingly costly and inefficient. For enterprises implementing AI at scale, this approach of bringing "AI to data" rather than vice versa offers compelling advantages in regulated industries where data control and compliance are non-negotiable.
The collaboration leverages complementary strengths: IBM contributes advanced AI technology and systems integration expertise through IBM Consulting, while Lumen provides the distributed network infrastructure necessary for edge deployment. The multi-cloud architecture mentioned suggests flexibility for enterprise environments with diverse cloud footprints.
The retail implementation example highlights the practical application: combining customer data systems, inventory management, AI-driven assistants, and visual inspection tools at the edge to create seamless customer experiences that would be difficult to achieve with traditional architectures.
While strategically sound and addressing genuine market needs, this announcement describes planned capabilities rather than current offerings. Success will ultimately depend on execution, pricing strategy, and how effectively they differentiate from competing edge AI solutions emerging in the market.
Edge-based AI inferencing eliminates cloud latency bottlenecks, enabling real-time applications while improving data security and reducing bandwidth costs.
The technical architecture described in this partnership addresses several critical challenges in scaled AI deployment. By deploying AI inferencing at the edge, Lumen and IBM are targeting the growing gap between model sophistication and deployment practicality.
The
From an implementation perspective, the multi-cloud approach acknowledges the reality of enterprise environments where data exists across different platforms. By enabling AI processing at these distributed points, organizations can analyze data where it's generated without costly and time-consuming data consolidation.
The retail implementation highlights a comprehensive application: integrating customer data, inventory systems, AI assistants and visual inspection tools at the edge creates a unified experience that would traditionally require multiple separate systems with different latency and security profiles.
This approach also addresses data security concerns by processing sensitive information locally rather than transmitting it to centralized clouds. For regulated industries like financial services and healthcare mentioned in the release, this provides both performance and compliance advantages.
While the collaboration aims to solve genuine technical challenges, it represents planned capabilities rather than currently available solutions. Success will depend on effectively optimizing AI models for edge constraints while delivering measurable business outcomes.
Companies to develop AI solutions that bring inferencing to the edge, helping businesses overcome cost and security challenges as they scale AI
Lumen delivers low-latency, high through-put infrastructure that serves as the backbone of the emerging AI economy. The new AI inferencing solutions optimized for the edge will deploy IBM watsonx technology in Lumen's edge data centers and leverage Lumen's multi-cloud architecture, enabling clients across financial services, healthcare, manufacturing and retail to analyze massive volumes of data in near real-time to help minimize latency. This will allow enterprises to develop and deploy AI models closer to the point of data generation, facilitating smarter decision-making while maintaining data control and security, plus accelerating AI innovation.
"Enterprise leaders don't just want to explore AI, they need to scale it quickly, cost effectively and securely," said Ryan Asdourian, Chief Marketing and Strategy officer at Lumen. "By combining IBM's AI innovation with Lumen's powerful network edge, we're turning vision into action—making it easier for businesses to tap into real-time intelligence wherever their data lives, accelerate innovation, and deliver smarter, faster customer experiences."
Unlocking the Power of GenAI at the Edge
Lumen's edge network offers <5ms latency and direct connectivity to major cloud providers and enterprise locations. When paired with IBM watsonx, the infrastructure has the potential to enable real-time AI processing, which can help mitigate costs and risks associated with public cloud dependence.
IBM Consulting will act as the preferred systems integrator, supporting clients in their efforts to scale deployments, reduce their costs and fully leverage AI capabilities through their deep technology, domain, and industry expertise.
"Our work with Lumen underscores a strong commitment to meeting clients where they are —bringing the power of enterprise-grade AI and hybrid cloud to wherever data lives," said Adam Lawrence, General Manager, Americas Technology, IBM. "Together, we're helping clients accelerate their AI journeys with greater speed, flexibility and security, driving new use cases at the edge ranging from automated customer service to predictive maintenance and intelligent supply chains."
AI in Action: Real-World Use Cases
The collaboration aims to solve contemporary business challenges by turning AI potential into practical, high-impact outcomes at the edge. For enterprise businesses, this can mean faster insights, lower operational costs, and a smarter path to digital innovation.
Lumen and IBM will offer these solutions to joint clients, enabling them to pilot real-world use cases in industries such as manufacturing, retail, logistics and financial services. For example, IBM and Lumen are helping a leading retailer transform its customer service by enhancing customer data and inventory systems with AI-driven digital assistants and visual inspection tools. Once fully developed, this is anticipated to deliver seamless, personalized interactions, creating a faster, smarter, and more engaging shopping experience for consumers.
"This collaboration can help redefine what's possible with AI at the edge," added Asdourian. "We're pursuing solutions that will give enterprises the ability to bring AI to their data, rather than the other way around—while maintaining control, compliance posture and real-time performance."
About Lumen Technologies
Lumen is unleashing the world's digital potential. We ignite business growth by connecting people, data, and applications – quickly, securely, and effortlessly. As the trusted network for AI, Lumen uses the scale of our network to help companies realize AI's full potential. From metro connectivity to long-haul data transport to our edge cloud, security, managed service, and digital platform capabilities, we meet our customers' needs today and as they build for tomorrow. For news and insights visit news.lumen.com, LinkedIn: /lumentechnologies, X: @lumentechco, Facebook: /lumentechnologies, Instagram: @lumentechnologies, and YouTube: /lumentechnologies.
About IBM
IBM is a leading provider of global hybrid cloud and AI, and consulting expertise. We help clients in more than 175 countries capitalize on insights from their data, streamline business processes, reduce costs and gain the competitive edge in their industries. Thousands of governments and corporate entities in critical infrastructure areas such as financial services, telecommunications and healthcare rely on IBM's hybrid cloud platform and Red Hat OpenShift to affect their digital transformations quickly, efficiently and securely. IBM's breakthrough innovations in AI, quantum computing, industry-specific cloud solutions and consulting deliver open and flexible options to our clients. All of this is backed by IBM's long-standing commitment to trust, transparency, responsibility, inclusivity and service.
Visit www.ibm.com for more information
Media Contacts:
Joe Goode, Lumen Technologies
Joseph.Goode@lumen.com
(781) 799-6048
Lily O'Brien, IBM
Lilyobrien@ibm.com
(407) 452-4049
View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/lumen-and-ibm-collaborate-to-unlock-scalable-ai-for-businesses-302446515.html
SOURCE IBM
FAQ
What is the partnership between IBM and Lumen Technologies about?
What industries will benefit from the IBM-Lumen AI collaboration?
What is the latency offered by Lumen's edge network in the IBM partnership?
How will IBM Consulting support the Lumen partnership?
What is a real-world example of the IBM-Lumen AI collaboration?
