IBM has underscored how seriously its taking Blockchain technology with the creation of a new business unit centered around it. The new business, called Industry Platforms, will be led by Global Business Services chief, Bridget van Kralingen. IBM’s entire blockchain leadership team will transition to the new business, which was first announced last year. As well as working on Blockchain technology, the Industry Platforms business will also work to promote its Watson artificial intelligence platform in the financial services sector. “The Industry Platforms business will bring clients radically optimized processes and marketplaces that leverage Watson, IBM Cloud, IBM Systems, blockchain, deep domain expertise and ecosystems of partners and developers,” said IBM CEO Ginni Rometty. “This is an important move by IBM as we increasingly focus on Blockchain,” the company added in a press release. Industry Platforms will now house IBM’s global industry managing directors for banking and insurance, client managing directors, and other financial services industry solutions. In turn, former Accenture Plc senior executive Mark Foster will now head up IBM’s Global Business Services. The new unit will be based at IBM’s Armonk, New York, offices, and will be tasked with leading the company’s Blockchain research and development. It will also help to foster open technology standards, with the aim of accelerating adoption of the technology. The move represents the next stage of IBM’s push into Blockchain, which has already seen the company build several prototype products and become a major contributor to the Linux Foundation-backed Hyperledger Project. One of the company’s earliest Blockchain projects was a proof-of-concept that integrates BitTorrent, Ethereum and TeleHash, launched last year. More recently, IBM has begun work on integrating its Watson AI with Blockchain technology. Show your support for our mission with our one-click subscription to our YouTube channel (below). The more subscribers we have, the more YouTube will suggest relevant enterprise and emerging technology content to you. Thanks! Support our mission: >>>>>> SUBSCRIBE NOW >>>>>> to our YouTube channel. … We’d also like to tell you about our mission and how you can help us fulfill it. SiliconANGLE Media Inc.’s business model is based on the intrinsic value of the content, not advertising. Unlike many online publications, we don’t have a paywall or run banner advertising, because we want to keep our journalism open, without influence or the need to chase traffic.The journalism, reporting and commentary on SiliconANGLE — along with live, unscripted video from our Silicon Valley studio and globe-trotting video teams at theCUBE — take a lot of hard work, time and money. Keeping the quality high requires the support of sponsors who are aligned with our vision of ad-free journalism content. If you like the reporting, video interviews and other ad-free content here, please take a moment to check out a sample of the video content supported by our sponsors, tweet your support, and keep coming back to SiliconANGLE.
IBM will transfer its blockchain leadership team to its new specialised blockchain service: Industry Platforms. To be based in IBM’s Armonk offices in Blockchain, the unit will not only head the company’s blockchain research and development; it will also help create technology standards and accelerate the adoption of the technology.