IBM and AMD are two stalwarts of the modern computer industry, even though IBM is now struggling to regain some relevance as its glory years of leading the computer industry are far behind now. Nevertheless, IBM remains a pioneer in the space, while AMD is one of the largest chip makers in the world, and rivals Intel in terms of popularity among consumers and businesses for their computing requirements. Thus, it is important that companies which lead the space in this manner make it a point to work towards the issues of the day, and one of the biggest issues facing the industry at this moment is the question of cybersecurity.
The proliferation of the internet, social media as well as cheap smartphones and computers have all led to a boom in terms of the number of people who use computers and the internet globally. While this is undoubtedly a good thing, one of the downsides has been that there has been a huge increase in fraud, online scams, hacking and other malicious activities as well. It is therefore encouraging that IBM and AMD will be entering a development program which will focus on cybersecurity and artificial intelligence. This is important, as cybersecurity is the foundation of the modern internet. Users leave personal data on websites on a daily basis, partly out of ignorance, but also because there is some inherent trust that their data will not be misused. To protect the personal data of users, companies are not only improving cyber protection, but are also moving from conventional currency to cryptocurrency, which is reliably protected from hacking thanks to blockchain technology. The online gambling industry has especially succeeded in this, where crypto casinos with bitcoin table games have become very popular. Apart from Bitcoin, crypto gambling also offers payments in other cryptocurrencies such as Ethereum and Dogecoin and so on. By giving users such a wide selection of cryptocurrencies for deposits in games, casino owners make players transactions and personal dates unattainable by hackers. This is just one example of how industries and sectors are taking matters into their own hands as far as cybersecurity is concerned, but there is a need for the core suppliers and stakeholders to also step up and lead efforts to improve security online.
This development program between these two companies will focus on “open-source software, open standards and open system architecture to drive confidential computing in hybrid cloud environments”, according to a statement by them. It will also look to support a broad range of accelerators across a range of computing and critical areas, such as encryption and virtualization. This is therefore also an attempt to innovate and improve cloud computing capabilities, which will also improve cybersecurity, since it is extremely difficult to gain unauthorized third party access to cloud computing servers. Confidential computing is the best way forward in this regard, as it allows data associated with virtual machines to be encrypted, even when that data is being used and workflows are in process. This will cut down processing and wait times for businesses, while ensuring that sensitive information is stored safely and without danger of being compromised.
IMD shares were up by 0.4% following this announcement, while AMD stock prices rose by 1.8%, following a 70% increase year-to-date so far in 2020. These efforts to combat online fraud and improve cybersecurity are extremely important for consumers and businesses, and so it is hoped that this program will allow more efficient and effective solutions to be worked on and implemented, which will also improve computing capabilities at the same time.