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Yesterday was the official start to Think 2018, and can I just say: WOW!!! This completely new approach to IBM events is seriously blowing me away.

Monday started with the OpenPOWER Summit. For those who are unfamiliar, the OpenPOWER Foundation is an open technical community based on IBM Power Systems architecture. Member companies like IBM, Google, Nvidia, RedHat and many others work to create innovative, open-source solutions to any number of IT industry challenges.

At the Summit, OpenPOWER member Google delivered the keynote, announcing that they had officially deployed the “Zaius” platform into its data centers for production workloads, and that Zaius was now “Google Strong.”

In addition, a number of consortium members announced new OpenPOWER servers, OpenCAPI devices and OpenPOWER-compatible software offerings.

Afterward, we headed to the IBM Research Science Slam, where Arvind Krishna unveiled his predictions for the five technologies most likely to change lives over the next five years. While all of the technologies were impressive, I was most impressed with the prediction that quantum computing will soon become essential for those looking for careers in any scientific or technical field. That’s quite a bold prediction!

With our minds sufficiently illuminated, it was time to experience the new “Campus” format that we’d heard so much about.

Over at the Modern Infrastructure Campus, IBM Systems technology was on full display, and the interactive format was a great way to understand how Systems is helping our clients put smart to work. I loved seeing a real Formula One race car up close and personal, and learning about how IBM Spectrum solutions help to give the Red Bull Racing team a cutting edge on the track made it even cooler.

As we learned about these impressive technologies, we also enjoyed small bites and drinks while taking in some impressive magic courtesy of The Illusionists — Live from Broadway. In another part of the campus, I checked out the #SystemsSelfie wall to create my own custom image, decorated with fun IT-themed stickers. What do you think?

All in all, it was a great introduction to this event and how much there is left to discover. Today kicks off with a Chairman’s Address with IBM CEO Ginni Rometty at 8:30AM PT, followed by Tom Rosamilia’s keynote on Big Bets in Infrastructure Innovation at 12:30PM PT. (Both of which will be live-streamed, by the way.) I can’t wait to see what all they have to share!

Stay Connected!

Twitter. Be sure to follow the IBM Systems Twitter feed at @IBMSystems.

Facebook. On Facebook, you can follow IBM Systems and see pictures from keynote sessions, campus highlights, think tanks, entertainment and more.

Hashtag. The official event hashtag is #think2018.

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