Can IBM's Focus on Innovative AI Solutions Spur an Uptrend?

International Business Machines Corporation IBM is focusing more on smaller, domain-focused artificial intelligence (AI) models, emphasizing reliability, cost-efficiency and practical enterprise utility. IBM’s watsonx platform has been the core technology platform for its AI capabilities. It delivers the value of foundational models to the enterprise, enabling them to be more productive. This enterprise-ready AI and data platform comprises three products to help organizations accelerate and scale AI — the watsonx.ai studio for new foundation models, generative AI and machine learning, the watsonx.data fit-for-purpose data store built on an open lake house architecture and the watsonx.governance toolkit to help enable AI workflows to be built with responsibility and transparency.

The IBM Concert solution is an AI-powered automation solution that offers intelligent resilience for complex IT operations such as patch management and the orchestration of security-related activities. It brings together all relevant data and specializations for AI-driven recommendations and workflows. IBM Concert helps reduce operational costs associated with patching vulnerabilities through fast response times and higher efficiency in securing all systems, thereby freeing up IT resources and manpower that can be used for other productive purposes. Leveraging Generative AI, IBM Concert develops an optimized and prioritized patching plan by creating contextual information about system topology and business requirements that enables end-to-end AI-powered automation.  

IBM works closely with a diverse AI partner ecosystem through an open and collaborative approach to plan, build, implement and operate generative AI solutions. This open ecosystem approach is likely to help clients define the right models and architecture to deliver their desired outcomes. IBM has collaborated with SAP SE SAP to tap generative AI technology within the retail industry. The collaboration is likely to facilitate higher productivity and help accelerate business transformation in consumer-packaged goods and retail firms. The company also collaborated with Salesforce, Inc. CRM to drive increased productivity and help accelerate business transformation with generative AI.

Other Blue-Chip Tech Firms Focusing on AI

Amazon.com, Inc.’s AMZN expansion of its Bedrock platform has positioned it as a frontrunner in the enterprise AI race. Amazon Bedrock has emerged as a game-changing, fully managed service that offers enterprises seamless access to high-performing foundation models from leading AI companies. The platform's recent developments, including automated reasoning checks and multi-agent collaboration capabilities, address critical challenges in AI adoption while opening new revenue streams for Amazon's cloud division.

Microsoft Corporation MSFT is striving to maintain its competitive edge in AI with the introduction of the Agent Store, which creates a new marketplace for AI-powered workplace assistants. The platform features more than 70 agents and provides developers with monetization opportunities through Microsoft 365 Copilot integration. The Azure AI Foundry application and agent development hub has been adopted by developers at more than 70,000 enterprises and digital-native companies. Microsoft's Azure AI Agent Service has been utilized by more than 10,000 organizations to build, deploy and scale agents.

IBM’s Price Performance, Valuation and Estimates

IBM has surged 22.1% over the past year compared with the industry’s growth of 14.7%.

From a valuation standpoint, IBM trades at a forward price-to-sales ratio of 3.24, below the industry.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for IBM’s earnings for 2025 has been on the rise over the past 30 days.

IBM currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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