Most Companies Still Lag Behind on AI Targets—How Can They Catch Up?

Why It Matters

Without an intentional, secure hybrid‑by‑design foundation, AI projects struggle to deliver financial returns and expose firms to costly breaches, hindering competitiveness. Adopting this integrated approach can unlock broader AI use cases, improve ROI, and ensure compliance in a rapidly evolving market.

Summary

AI adoption now touches 78% of firms, yet only 25% of initiatives meet expected ROI and just 18% exceed cost of capital. IBM’s study warns that many enterprises operate on ad‑hoc "hybrid‑by‑default" architectures, leading to paused pilots and limited value, while 80% have outdated compute, storage and networking. The report advocates a "hybrid‑by‑design" strategy that integrates AI with a unified, secure hybrid‑cloud infrastructure, enabling data‑centric AI, cross‑department collaboration and regulatory compliance. Strategic partnerships are highlighted as essential to scale AI across the enterprise and turn promise into profit.