Lumen and IBM announced a new collaboration to develop enterprise-grade AI solutions at the edge—integrating watsonx, IBM’s portfolio of AI products, with Lumen’s Edge Cloud infrastructure and network. The new AI inferencing solutions optimized for the edge will deploy IBM watsonx technology in Lumen’s edge data centers and leverage Lumen’s multi-cloud architecture, enabling clients across financial services, healthcare, manufacturing and retail to analyze massive volumes of data in near real-time to help minimize latency. This will allow enterprises to develop and deploy AI models closer to the point of data generation, facilitating smarter decision-making while maintaining data control and security, plus accelerating AI innovation. Lumen’s edge network offers <5ms latency and direct connectivity to major cloud providers and enterprise locations. When paired with IBM watsonx, the infrastructure has the potential to enable real-time AI processing, which can help mitigate costs and risks associated with public cloud dependence. IBM Consulting will act as the preferred systems integrator, supporting clients in their efforts to scale deployments, reduce their costs and fully leverage AI capabilities through their deep technology, domain, and industry expertise. The collaboration aims to solve contemporary business challenges by turning AI potential into practical, high-impact outcomes at the edge. For enterprise businesses, this can mean faster insights, lower operational costs, and a smarter path to digital innovation. Ryan Asdourian, Chief Marketing and Strategy officer at Lumen said, “By combining IBM’s AI innovation with Lumen’s powerful network edge, we’re making it easier for businesses to tap into real-time intelligence wherever their data lives, accelerate innovation, and deliver smarter, faster customer experiences.”