IBM‘s new watsonx.data platform is taking center stage at Think 2025 as the company addresses a critical challenge in enterprise AI adoption: data readiness. While organizations are rapidly embracing generative AI, IBM reveals that less than 1% of enterprise data is currently being utilized for these initiatives, despite approximately 90% of corporate data being unstructured and scattered across various systems. This data fragmentation, rather than model optimization or inference costs, represents the true bottleneck preventing companies from realizing AI’s full potential.
The big picture: IBM is positioning watsonx.data as the solution to the enterprise unstructured data problem by transforming it into a hybrid, open data lakehouse with data fabric capabilities.
- The platform aims to simplify the data-for-AI stack with an open architecture that can operate across hybrid environments.
- New features include “watsonx.data integration” for managing diverse data formats and “watsonx.data intelligence” which uses AI to automate data curation and governance.
Why this matters: With enterprise adoption of generative AI accelerating, many organizations are discovering their legacy data environments aren’t equipped to support AI initiatives effectively.
- Most enterprises have been misaligning their generative AI strategies by focusing on application development rather than addressing foundational data challenges.
- The platform addresses the reality that approximately 90% of enterprise data is unstructured and dispersed across multiple locations, formats and systems.
Real-world impact: IBM showcased several business examples demonstrating watsonx.data’s effectiveness across industries.
- BanFast, a construction company, reduced manual data input by 75% while enhancing worker health and safety.
- A U.S. financial services firm saved $5.7 million by creating a unified view of operational IT data.
- A global manufacturing client automated indirect tax data ingestion across 34 source systems operating in 73 countries.
Implementation challenges: Despite its promise, watsonx.data faces several adoption hurdles that enterprises will need to overcome.
- Complex data integration across diverse environments remains technically challenging.
- Data sprawl and governance issues continue to complicate implementation.
- Many organizations face readiness and skill gaps when deploying sophisticated data platforms.
- Cost and operational complexity present additional barriers to adoption.
Recent Stories
DOE fusion roadmap targets 2030s commercial deployment as AI drives $9B investment
The Department of Energy has released a new roadmap targeting commercial-scale fusion power deployment by the mid-2030s, though the plan lacks specific funding commitments and relies on scientific breakthroughs that have eluded researchers for decades. The strategy emphasizes public-private partnerships and positions AI as both a research tool and motivation for developing fusion energy to meet data centers' growing electricity demands. The big picture: The DOE's roadmap aims to "deliver the public infrastructure that supports the fusion private sector scale up in the 2030s," but acknowledges it cannot commit to specific funding levels and remains subject to Congressional appropriations. Why...
Oct 17, 2025Tying it all together: Credo’s purple cables power the $4B AI data center boom
Credo, a Silicon Valley semiconductor company specializing in data center cables and chips, has seen its stock price more than double this year to $143.61, following a 245% surge in 2024. The company's signature purple cables, which cost between $300-$500 each, have become essential infrastructure for AI data centers, positioning Credo to capitalize on the trillion-dollar AI infrastructure expansion as hyperscalers like Amazon, Microsoft, and Elon Musk's xAI rapidly build out massive computing facilities. What you should know: Credo's active electrical cables (AECs) are becoming indispensable for connecting the massive GPU clusters required for AI training and inference. The company...
Oct 17, 2025Vatican launches Latin American AI network for human development
The Vatican hosted a two-day conference bringing together 50 global experts to explore how artificial intelligence can advance peace, social justice, and human development. The event launched the Latin American AI Network for Integral Human Development and established principles for ethical AI governance that prioritize human dignity over technological advancement. What you should know: The Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, the Vatican's research body for social issues, organized the "Digital Rerum Novarum" conference on October 16-17, combining academic research with practical AI applications. Participants included leading experts from MIT, Microsoft, Columbia University, the UN, and major European institutions. The conference...