IBM to focus on AI and hybrid cloud in new chapter for Big Blue

BERLIN (Reuters) - IBM is rolling out innovations in artificial intelligence, hybrid cloud operations and quantum computing as the company that created the personal computer follows through on a roadmap it set out a year ago. The U.S. company made the announcements to coincide with its annual Think Conference on Tuesday as it builds momentum following its $34 billion takeover of open-source software company Red Hat two years ago. IBM, which last month reported its strongest quarterly sales growth in two years, has been restructuring since Arvind Krishna became chief executive a year ago to focus on cloud computing and AI. Last October, IBM announced its legacy IT infrastructure business would shift into a separate firm. "This year, we are going to talk about progress - and we have made a lot of progress," President Jim Whitehurst told reporters ahead of its Think Conference.