More than 500 attendees have gathered in IBM Think 2025 Madrid, an event that organizes throughout the year in seven other cities around the world and in which the capital of Spain is one of them. During the meeting, professionals in the technological sector have been able to discover how AI, the hybrid cloud and automation are generating tangible value in public companies and organizations.
In its opening, Horacio Morell, president of IBM Spain, Portugal, Greece and Israel, stressed that AI is no longer an emerging technology: “In just two years, all companies have made generative AI one of their main strategies”
In this sense, Morell highlighted three key principles to achieve an effective and sustainable adoption of AI. First, he explained that innovating with impact requires combining new technologies, with great disruption capacity, with consolidated technologies that we already dominate and provide reliability and robustness.
This combination – he said – allows us to accelerate results without compromising stability. “A clear example is AI agents”In this regard, he highlighted solutions such as Watsonx Orchestrate, the IBM platform that allows to build personalized agents and combine them with deterministic workflow, facilitating reliable and scalable automation.
Second, he advocated an open strategy, which allows innovations agilely to all organizations. And finally, he stressed that, in a constant technological acceleration environment, “You have to join forces and work in open technological ecosystems”
At a time when the company is about to turn 100 in Spain, Morell took the opportunity to remember how that vision has materialized in concrete projects. As with Telefónica, which is using IBM AI to build use cases for companies, including SMEs, and public bodies in order to create more efficient and sustainable businesses.
“IA is an important evolutionary leap that has a clear impact on the business of companies and its ability to optimize all processes. We are applying it in Telefónica for our own transformation and to improve the services and experiences we offer to all our clients ”explained Emilio Gayo, CEO, Telefónica SA
Even agreements with different public administrations, some pioneers in the development of AI projects, such as the Tax Agency with its first attendees and also with many CCAA, such as Extremadura, helping in attention to the citizen in their administrative procedures.
Real cases: AI and automation
IBM also showed how automation is already generating measurable benefits in organizations from different sectors. “Hashicorp solutions have been a key element in the development of the security capacities necessary for the digital transformation of our channels«, Said Gustavo Rodríguez, Global Director of BBVA security architecture during his presentation.
In the field of talent, Myriam Blázquez, General Director of Experis (Grupo Manpower), said that “Using IBM Watsonx Orchestrate, we have experienced first hand the transforming potential of AI agents. We have developed Eva and we are delighted with the results. Eva is an AI agent that goes far beyond a simple chatbot: it includes intentions, guide people and execute real tasks. By offering clear and contextual responses, it reduces by more than 40% the repetitive consultations that the HR team receives, which, in this way, is released to spend more time to strategic tasks.
Horacio Morell, president of IBM Spain, Portugal, Greece and Israel, stressed during Think 2025 that in just two years, companies have made the generative AI one of their main strategies ”
Javier Olaizola, Global Managing Partner of Hybrid Cloud & Data in IBM Consulting, along with Carlos neighbor, general director of marketing at Naturgy, approached how the energy company has promoted an ambitious transformation project with great impact on the client area, how they are taking advantage of the AI, and, the challenges are being found on the road.
In his speech, Ana governed, IBM Consulting Managing Partner for Spain, Portugal, Greece and Israel, highlighted the open ecosystem approach “that allows us to offer our clients the flexibility and adaptation they need. “ In this sense, from IBM Consulting a series of agreements with strategic partners have been announced to offer new capacities of AI agents.
AI is the productivity engine of the future
Ana Paula Assis, SVP and Chair de IBM EMEA and emerging markets, spoke about AI as a productivity engine for companies willing to release all their potential. In conversation with Rebeca Vázquez, general director of Hashicorp’s centers of excellence, they addressed the role of standardization and automation in current hybrid cloud environments.
Marc Gené, Formula 1 pilot and Ferrari ambassador, also accompanied her on stage to talk about how the Ferrari team has opted for a digital experience centered on fans, positioning her official app based on AI and developed in collaboration with IBM as a key channel to connect with her almost 400 million followers.
The next era of computing: from the generative AI to quantum computing
The day also offered a look to the future. According to Morell, “The combination of classical supercomputing and quantum computers will mark the next great technological innovation border”In 2026 we will solve problems thanks to this synergy, but the turning point will really arrive in 2029, when IBM plans to have its first quantum computer tolerant to failures, capable of solving problems currently unabordable by traditional computing.
Together with Juan Ignacio Pérez Iglesias, Minister of Science, Universities and Innovation of the Basque Government, Mikel Ten Director of Quantum for Spain analyzed the impact of IBM Quantum System Two, whose installation is planned in San Sebastián at the end of this year. This milestone will promote the capacity for scientific and business research in Europe, turning the Basque Country into a strategic pole for the development of advanced quantum computing in the continent.
Counselor Pérez Iglesias stressed that IBM’s decision to locate his first System Two quantum computer in Europe constitutes recognition to the solid scientific and technological positioning of Euskadi in the field of quantum computing.
In his opinion, “This project reinforces the leadership of our community as an international reference in a strategic technology for digital transformation and the development of a scientific infrastructure of excellence. The project is part of the IKUR strategy of the Basque Government, aimed at promoting areas of high impact specialization. In this context, IBM Quantum System will be a key asset for the Basque Network of Science, Technology and Innovation, facilitating the generation of advanced knowledge, the training of specialized talent and the preparation of the public and industrial sector in the face of the challenges of this emerging technology.“
Along the same lines, the Basque and Iberdrola Government have announced its BASQ program collaboration agreement for the development of research, innovation and impact projects in the quantum area.
On the other hand, in the framework of the future of AI, Sriram Raghavan, VP of IBM Research AI, introduced the concept of generative computing, which redefines how companies interact with language models, in a more structured, safe and efficient way, overcoming the problems inherent in the Prompt eningeering with which all companies that are adopting are adopting to all companies scale.
Immersive experiences: ia in action
In addition, the meeting had different activation spaces where attendees were able to experience solutions applied in sectors such as sport, automotive or industry. Among the most striking demonstrations, attendees were able to prove how AI behind the digital experience of Wimbledon fans works, taken to a ping-pong table, where technology generates personalized narratives in real time. At the same time, Scout Advisor, developed next to Sevilla FC, allowed to analyze players data at a simulated football table. IBM also presented its alliance with Scuderia Ferrari HP, in which Watsonx is used to customize fans experience through telemetry analysis and performance data, thus showing the AI potential to connect emotion, data and business.
