IBM, Salesforce Agree to Partner on Artificial Intelligence

International Business Machines Corp. and Salesforce.com Inc. agreed to mingle their artificial-intelligence technologies in a bid to boost sales of data-analytics offerings. The companies Monday announced plans to offer integrated AI services that weave the broad human-like conversation and learning capabilities of IBM’s Watson with Salesforce’s more sales-oriented Einstein technology.

IBM, Maersk in Blockchain Tie-Up for Shipping Industry

IBM and Danish transport company Maersk said they were working together to digitize, manage, and track shipping transactions using blockchain technology. The technology, which powers the digital currency bitcoin, enables data sharing across a network of individual computers.

Intel Pledges $7 Billion Arizona Investment in Trump Meeting

Intel Corp. Chief Executive Officer Brian Krzanich said the semiconductor maker will invest $7 billion to complete a chip factory in Chandler, Arizona, becoming the latest company to use a meeting with President Donald Trump to tout spending and job-creation plans that were already in place. Krzanich, speaking Wednesday in the Oval Office, called the investment an expansion of Intel’s presence in Chandler that will finish a plant — already under construction — capable of advanced 7-nanometer chip production.

Buffett Back in Money on IBM, Reversing $2.6 Billion Loss

International Business Machines Corp. has climbed above the price that Warren Buffett paid for shares in the computer company, reversing more than $2 billion in paper losses for his Berkshire Hathaway Inc. IBM rose 2.2 percent to $170.55 at 4 p.m. Friday in New York after giving 2017 profit guidance on Thursday that was higher than analysts’ estimates. That compares with the average of $170.19 that Buffett spent for 81 million shares, according to Omaha, Nebraska-based Berkshire’s most recent annual report.

IBM Is Betting Its Future on AI

Since Ginni Rometty started as CEO in January of 2012, IBM has had 18 consecutive quarters of year-over-year declining revenue– essentially every quarter of her tenure. The stock has lost nearly 10% compared with a gain of 78% for the S&P 500 over the last five years.