Lumen and IBM Join Forces to Revolutionize Scalable AI Solutions for Businesses

Lumen and IBM Collaborate to Unlock Scalable AI for Businesses

In a significant move towards furthering artificial intelligence capabilities in the business sector, Lumen Technologies and IBM have joined forces to create powerful AI solutions designed for enterprise applications. Announced on May 6, 2025, this collaboration aims to simplify the deployment of enterprise-grade AI technology, integrating IBM's watsonx portfolio with Lumen's robust Edge Cloud infrastructure and networks.

With AI taking a central role in enhancing business efficiency, this partnership seeks to bring AI inferencing closer to the data source. By addressing the common challenges of cost, latency, and security, both companies aim to facilitate a smoother and more effective integration of AI in various industries, including healthcare, retail, financial services, and manufacturing. The goal is to enable businesses to harness AI in real-time, unlocking new possibilities for improving customer experiences and operational agility.

Lumen's infrastructure, known for its low-latency and high-throughput capabilities, is critical for supporting the emerging AI economy. Optimizing AI inferencing solutions at the edge will allow clients to analyze vast quantities of data almost instantaneously while ensuring data control and security. This is paramount as enterprises strive to maintain compliance and privacy while scaling their AI initiatives.

Ryan Asdourian, Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer at Lumen, highlighted, "Enterprise leaders don't just want to explore AI; they need to scale it quickly, cost-effectively, and securely. By merging IBM's advanced AI technology with Lumen's superior network edge, we're turning vision into action — enabling businesses to access real-time intelligence wherever their data resides, and thus, accelerating innovation and enhancing customer experiences."

Unlocking GenAI at the Edge

The combination of Lumen's edge network capabilities, which offer latencies below 5 milliseconds, with IBM's watsonx technology creates an impressive infrastructure for real-time AI processing. This synergy can greatly reduce the costs and risks often associated with relying solely on public cloud services.

IBM Consulting has taken on the role of preferred systems integrator, assisting clients in seamlessly scaling their deployments and maximizing their AI capabilities through industry-specific insight. Adam Lawrence, General Manager at IBM Technology for the Americas, stated, "Our collaboration with Lumen demonstrates a strong commitment to delivering enterprise-grade AI and hybrid cloud solutions, creating opportunities for new use cases at the edge, from automated customer service to predictive maintenance and intelligent supply chains."

Real-World Applications of AI

This partnership not only holds the promise of overcoming existing hurdles but also aims to convert the potential of AI into tangible business solutions. Enterprises will have access to pilot projects that demonstrate real-world applications across sectors like retail, logistics, and manufacturing.

For example, Lumen and IBM are assisting a major retail player in enhancing customer service operations by integrating AI-powered digital assistants and advanced visual inspection tools into their inventory and customer data systems. Ultimately, this initiative aims to create personalized shopping experiences that are faster, smarter, and more engaging, illustrating just one of the many scenarios where AI can materially impact business performance.

Asdourian expressed his enthusiasm: "This collaboration can help redefine what's possible with AI at the edge. We're focused on delivering solutions that enable enterprises to access AI solutions at their data sources, rather than the traditional model of moving data to AI processing, thereby maintaining control and real-time performance."

About the Partners

Lumen Technologies is dedicated to unlocking the digital potential of businesses worldwide. By connecting people, data, and applications swiftly and securely, Lumen positions itself as a critical player in the digital transformation era, especially within the AI landscape.

IBM, on the other hand, stands as a leader in hybrid cloud and AI innovations, aiding clients in over 175 countries to leverage data insights and streamline operations effectively. Both companies are committed to fostering environments where businesses can fully realize the benefits of AI and digital technologies.