Samsung and IBM announce massive collaboration
Samsung Electronics is to collaborate with IBM to develop edge computing, 5G, and hybrid cloud solutions.
The companies aim to develop new solutions for mobile edge computing and end-to-end private 5G networks that run on open architecture and empower workers through 5G-enabled Samsung Galaxy devices.
This planned collaboration will combine Samsung's Galaxy 5G mobile devices and advanced end-to-end enterprise network solutions with IBM's network management, hybrid cloud, and edge computing offerings, as well as its industry solutions driven by artificial intelligence, and Red Hat's open architecture.
The goal is to develop open, hybrid cloud solutions that enable enterprises to draw greater insights from data at the edge to improve operational performance, increase worker safety, and minimise downtime.
Both companies also plan to explore how manufacturers can use private 5G or 4G networks and 5G mobile devices with Industrial IoT (IIoT) solutions.
"The move to standalone 5G has accelerated the adoption of IIoT solutions and will require businesses to adopt an edge computing strategy that allows them to manage their IT environments from anywhere," says Samsung Electronics mobile communications business executive vice president and global mobile B2B team head KC Choi.
"We are excited to work with IBM to discover how our unique devices, mobile IoT and network solutions can provide frontline workers with access to better data and more actionable insights to take their business to the next level.
Samsung and IBM also intend to help enterprises take 5G into public and private networks through cross collaborations with global mobile operators.
Private 5G networks
Samsung and IBM also plan to bring together Samsung's 5G end-to-end solutions, which include a wide array of indoor and outdoor products covering mid-band (C-Band, CBRS and local 5G spectrum) and mmWave, and its cloud and on-premise server-based solutions, with IBM's open hybrid cloud technologies, including its edge platform and network management capabilities, its integration and consulting services, and its AI solutions.
This builds on Red Hat's recent announcement with Samsung to deliver 5G network solutions built on Red Hat OpenShift and can help enable enterprises to customise and deploy their networks and manage them across any cloud, on-premises or private environment of choice.
Additionally, Samsung and IBM's collaboration in private 5G networks will be aimed at enabling enterprises to adopt emerging technologies such as IoT, AI, cloud, edge computing, and augmented reality (AR), and introduce new innovations across their business that can enable employees to identify faults in manufacturing lines using AI-powered image recognition, use thousands of sensors to build smart agriculture solutions, or facilitate employee training and productivity using AR.
"The transition of communication networks from proprietary architecture to intelligent, software-defined hybrid cloud platforms enables the creation of enormous new value in the 5G and edge era," says IBM communications secretary global GM and MD Steve Canepa.
"5G devices and network solutions from Samsung, along with IBM and Red Hat's open, hybrid cloud capabilities, can help organizations across all industries accelerate their transformation and solve real business problems while unlocking the true power of 5G and edge.
Samsung, IBM, and Red Hat intend to explore the interoperability and integration of Samsung hardware and software with IBM Edge Application Manager, which runs on Red Hat OpenShift, and AI to enable computing workloads to be managed and deployed to Samsung's portfolio of mobile devices at an industrial scale.
IBM also plans to provide hybrid cloud and industry-specific services to help with the design and implementation of the solutions, and Samsung will give developers access to features leveraging IBM and Red Hat's ecosystems and the broader open source community.
This intended outcome would not only give businesses enhanced flexibility to manage their IT/OT environments anywhere, but it will also allow them to simultaneously manage and compute data on Samsung mobile devices with tens of thousands of other endpoints to streamline workloads and increase efficiencies.
The objective is to also enable them to draw deep insights and predictive analysis in real-time to uncover new business opportunities, increase operational efficiencies, empower employees, and offer a better experience to their customers.
