On January 13, 2026, Gary Cohn, IBM’s vice chairman and former director of the National Economic Council, appeared on CNBC’s “Money Movers” to assess recent inflation data and Federal Reserve policy. Cohn highlighted that the latest Consumer Price Index report showed a moderation in core inflation trends, and he praised continued strength in consumer spending and labor markets. He suggested that, while headline inflation remains above the Fed’s 2% target, the central bank may begin to consider rate cuts later in the year if economic growth holds and inflation pressures ease. Cohn underscored the importance of sustained business investment, citing robust corporate balance sheets and technology-driven productivity gains as key drivers for both IBM and broader market performance.

IBM has deepened its collaboration with Datavault AI to deliver watsonx-powered, zero-trust micro data centers designed for ultra-low-latency enterprise AI at the network edge. The initiative targets industries requiring real-time analytics—such as manufacturing, telecommunications, and retail—by packaging IBM’s watsonx.ai models into hardened, self-contained units that can be deployed within customer premises or co-location facilities. IBM reports that pilot deployments have reduced end-to-end inference latency by up to 70% compared with centralized cloud processing, while the zero-trust framework encrypts data in flight and at rest. The roll-out plan calls for 30 additional micro data center installations across North America and Europe by mid-2026, supporting IBM’s broader strategy to monetize edge computing and expand recurring software-as-a-service revenues.