In the Battle for Big Data, IBM Drops an A-Bomb

In September, IBM was downplaying expectations for its big data business. No longer. Big Blue this week showed analysts what its Watson supercomputer is capable of in a demonstration at the company's Almaden Research Center outside of San Jose, Calif.

Big Blue believes that, by putting Watson to work on data-intensive tasks such as drug development, the company will corner at least part of the big data market opportunity before peers Teradata and Oracle can get there. Both companies sell finely honed database systems.

For IBM, Watson could help IBM unlock $16 billion in big data revenue by 2015, The New York Times reports, making its supercomputer the world's most valuable consultant. What are the odds of success? Is now the time to bet on Big Blue? Tim Beyers of Motley Fool Rule Breakers and Motley Fool Supernova addresses these questions and more in the video below. Please watch, and then be sure to leave a comment to let us know what you think.

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The article In the Battle for Big Data, IBM Drops an A-Bomb originally appeared on Fool.com.

Fool contributor Tim Beyers is a member of the Motley Fool Rule Breakers stock-picking team and the Motley Fool Supernova Odyssey I mission. He owned shares of IBM at the time of publication. Check out Tim's web home and portfolio holdings or connect with him on Google+, Tumblr, or Twitter, where he goes by @milehighfool. You can also get his insights delivered directly to your RSS reader.The Motley Fool owns shares of Oracle and International Business Machines. Motley Fool newsletter services have recommended buying shares of Teradata. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days.

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