Abstract: Blockchain will fundamentally transform all industries by virtue of it being a trusted and permissioned information sharing platform. In the traditional model, when companies do business with each other they share information via point to point communication leading to information silos, disputes and reconciliations. In the blockchain model, information is shared across the businesses on a shared ledger, leading to a single version of the truth. In addition, business logic can be run in a trusted manner on top of the trusted data with so-called smart contracts. Supply chains, with the many handoffs that occur, is the perfect place to apply this technology along with IoT and AI - the trifecta of technologies for supply chains! In this presentation, I will argue that supply chains will never be the same again by describing two supply chain solutions we have deployed in production with these technologies (i) IBM Food Trust for transforming the food ecosystem and (ii) TradeLens for transforming global trade. We will show what it takes to build these transformative solutions: getting the product right, getting the technology right, convening the ecosystem, getting the governance right, ensuring the right elements are in place for interoperability with other solutions etc. The value of these solutions will exponentially over time grow as clients and partners build and deliver value added services on top of these data sharing platforms. I will illustrate that concept with examples. What we are building with these solutions is laying the foundations for future supply chains; one might say that it is analogous to pouring concrete for the inter-state highways or laying cable for the internet!
Biography: Ramesh is responsible for the offering management and development of blockchain solutions at IBM. He leads client engagements in this space and has worked with marquee clients across a number of industries including food safety, banking and financial services, and global supply chain. He played an instrumental role in developing the IBM Food Trust blockchain solution to support food safety currently in use by many of the world’s largest retailers and food companies. He also helped develop IBM’s Global Trade Digitization technology currently in use by Maersk and numerous members of the shipping supply chain.
Previously he was the global leader for blockchain at IBM Research which helped incubate IBM’s growing blockchain business. He began his career in IBM Research in 1994 and over the years has led the development of IBM products and services in a broad range of areas including cognitive (speech and text), collaboration, mobile and cloud. Ramesh graduated from Rice University (Ph.D. 1993, M.S. 1990) and the Indian Institute of Technology, Chennai (BTech 1987).
