IBM Puts Watson-Based Machine Learning to Work on z System Mainframes

IBM announced Feb. 15 that it's bringing some of Watson's artificial intelligence to the private cloud with a new cognitive computing platform called Machine Learning. IBM called Machine Learning the "first cognitive platform" to use analytical models to help companies more effectively analyze their operations and make sound, AI-based decisions. Machine Learning, which is designed for both novice and advanced data scientists, will continue to learn as users feed it fresh data. It can also help scientists choose the right algorithms to make decisions and can be put to work in most industries, even those as wide-ranging as retailing or oil exploration. It runs on IBM's z System mainframes, which are widely deployed in enterprise data centers and, according to the company, can process billions of transactions each day.