BMC Recognized for Artificial Intelligence Innovation in 8th Annual AI Breakthrough Awards Program
AI Breakthrough has named BMC the winner of its 2025 “Conversational AI Innovation Award,” recognizing the company’s BMC AMI Assistant for its innovative use of generative AI. The award is part of AI Breakthrough’s annual program, which honors standout technologies and companies shaping the future of artificial intelligence.
BMC AMI Assistant enhances mainframe operations by offering interactive, human-like conversations that go beyond scripted automation. Integrated with BMC AMI solutions, it helps users troubleshoot problems, decode unfamiliar systems, and get clear, actionable guidance using natural language.
“We’re honored to receive the Conversational AI Innovation Award from AI Breakthrough,” said Priya Doty, vice president of solutions marketing at BMC. “It empowers every user to work smarter, solve problems faster, and stay ahead in a complex world. It’s Mainframe Simplified.”
“BMC’s breakthrough solution helps bridge knowledge gaps in mainframe expertise,” added AI Breakthrough’s Steve Johansson, “simplifying management and easing the burden of complexity.”
Source: Globe Newswire
IBM Introduces Industry-First Software to Unify Agentic Governance and Security
IBM has announced the industry’s first integrated software solution combining AI security and governance, aimed at helping enterprises manage risks as they scale AI agents. The new capabilities link watsonx.governance, IBM’s AI governance platform, with Guardium AI Security, its tool for protecting AI models and data.
This integration provides a unified risk view and supports compliance with 12 major frameworks, including the EU AI Act and ISO 42001. Enhancements to Guardium include automated detection of AI use cases, custom security policy creation, and automated red teaming for vulnerability testing. When threats are identified, governance workflows can be triggered automatically via watsonx.governance.
Watsonx.governance now supports end-to-end agent lifecycle monitoring, including real-time performance metrics and upcoming features like audit trails and onboarding risk assessments. IBM is also launching Compliance Accelerators, which offer preloaded regulatory frameworks to help organizations align AI use with global standards.
Additionally, IBM Consulting Cybersecurity Services is introducing new offerings to guide secure AI adoption, blending technical tools with strategic expertise. Watsonx.governance is now available on AWS India, expanding access to its compliance and monitoring capabilities.
Together, these updates aim to equip enterprises with the tools needed to deploy responsible and secure AI at scale.
Source: IBM
IBM Z IntelliMagic Vision for z/OS helps manage performance and capacity of the IBM z17
On April 8, 2025, IBM announced critical support for the IBM z17 technology to be provided by IBM Z IntelliMagic Vision for z/OS. On June 20, 2025, two days after IBM started shipping the z17, IBM has made available a new release of IBM Z IntelliMagic Vision for z/OS that provides support for the new IBM z17 processor. Support is provided as per support for the previous IBM processor models. This includes, but is not limited to:
- Support for the new z17-specific Relative Nest Intensity (RNI) formula
- Support for the LSPR-defined PCI (“MIPS”) capacity ratings for all z17 models
- Supporting text was updated to reflect content applicable to z17 models.
- Support for the new channels making use of the DPU fields
- Support is also provided for the new and changed extended hardware counters in the SMF 113 records and new calculated variables derived from these counters as defined by the Washington Systems Center. Newly created counters include Neural Network Processing Assist (NNPA) and Perform Lock Operation (PLO) metrics. Field description text has also been updated to reflect counter definitions applicable to the z17.
- Support for the new power consumption metrics introduced with z17 models. This reporting appears in the “Power Consumption” report set which has been added to the Systems “Processor Hardware” and “Processor Reporting” focal points.
Source: AIOps on IBM Z
IBM watsonx AI Lab
IBM has launched watsonx AI Labs, a new innovation hub at One Madison in New York City, aimed at accelerating enterprise AI adoption and empowering developers. The lab connects IBM’s enterprise expertise with the AI startup community to build advanced, agentic AI applications.
Part of IBM’s global network of engineering centers, watsonx AI Labs will bring together IBM researchers, engineers, startups, and large enterprises to co-create meaningful AI solutions. The initiative taps into New York’s growing AI ecosystem, which now includes more than 2,000 AI startups and a workforce that grew 25% from 2022 to 2023, according to Tech:NYC.
As part of the launch, IBM will acquire expertise and license technology from Seek AI, a local startup developing AI agents to unlock value from enterprise data. Seek AI’s capabilities will become a core part of the lab’s efforts.
“This isn’t your typical corporate lab,” said Ritika Gunnar, IBM’s General Manager of Data & AI. “watsonx AI Labs is where the best AI developers gain access to world-class engineers and resources and build new businesses and applications that will reshape AI for the enterprise.”
IBM also plans to support local startups through mentorship and potential investment via its $500 million Enterprise AI Venture Fund.
Source: IBM
Sonja Soderlund is an Oregon-based B2B freelance writer. Whether writing about mainframe computers, educational technology, or sustainable retail, she strives to bring clarity to complex issues.