IBM Study: More Companies Turning to Open-Source AI Tools to Unlock ROI

• 85% of IT decision makers surveyed reported progress in their companies' 2024 AI strategy, with 47% saying they have already achieved positive ROI
• Nearly half of surveyed companies are looking to open-source AI to optimize their investments in 2025

ARMONK, N.Y., Dec. 19, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- New research commissioned by IBM (NYSE: IBM) found that companies surveyed are investing in AI for the long term, with a growing interest in using open-source tools to drive ROI and innovation going forward.

The study of more than 2,400 IT decision makers (ITDMs), conducted by Morning Consult and developed in collaboration with Lopez Research, revealed that 85% of respondents report making progress in executing their 2024 AI strategy, with nearly half (47%) already seeing positive ROI from their AI investments. The data also confirms that using open-source tools for AI solutions may correlate to greater financial viability: 51% of surveyed companies currently utilizing open-source AI tools report seeing positive ROI, as compared to just 41% of those not using open source.

Nearly two-thirds (62%) of all respondents indicate they will increase their AI investments in 2025, while 48% are planning to leverage open-source ecosystems to optimize their AI implementations. For those surveyed companies not currently utilizing open-source, 2 in 5 say they plan to use open source for AI implementation in 2025.

"As organizations begin to implement AI at scale, many are placing greater stock in success metrics such as productivity gains, in part because traditional hard dollar ROI benefits have yet to show up on the balance sheets," said Maribel Lopez of Lopez Research. "Yet, companies continue to rapidly advance their AI strategies, with no sign of slowing down. Companies now recognize the value of defining specific use cases and optimizing AI projects. They are leveraging hybrid cloud strategies and open source to drive AI innovation and deliver financial returns."

Further study findings include:

Enterprises are ramping up AI investment, but with a greater strategic focus

• 89% of surveyed organizations are planning to either increase or maintain their investment in AI in 2025.
  • Of the 62% that plan to increase their investment, nearly two-fifths (39%) of respondents plan to up their spending by 25-50%.
  • Only 5% of respondents plan to decrease their AI spending, and none by more than 50%.          

• Surveyed companies are focusing on specific areas for allocating their AI investments, particularly IT operations (the top focus area for 63% percent of respondents), as well as data quality management (46%) and product/services innovation (41%).
• When asked what strategic changes will be made in 2025, surveyed ITDMs identify using managed cloud services (51%), hiring specialized talent (48%) and utilizing open source (48%) among the most common ways they plan to optimize their AI investments.

 Open source is becoming crucial to companies' AI strategies

• 6-in-10 ITDMs surveyed report using open-source ecosystems as an AI tool source, and more AI solutions are expected to be based on open source in the coming year (41% in 2025 vs. 37% in 2024).
• More than 80% of respondents report that at least a quarter of their company's AI solutions or platforms are based on open source.
  • As company size increases, so does the likelihood that the majority (over 50%) of AI solutions are based on open source.

• Surveyed companies utilizing open-source ecosystems are more likely to be achieving positive ROI than those that are not (51% vs. 41%).
• In addition, respondents harnessing open-source ecosystems plan to launch more AI pilots in the coming year than those that are not: 38% say they plan to launch 21+ AI pilots in 2025, compared to 26% at companies not using open source for AI tooling.

Organizations report successfully advancing their AI projects, but often through less traditional ROI metrics

• 85% of surveyed ITDMs report making progress in executing their AI strategy, while only 9% report no progress.
• 58% of respondents say their company typically moves from AI pilot to full production in less than a year.
• 31% of surveyed companies say their AI investments are driven more by innovation, compared to 28% that are more ROI driven; 41% indicate that their organization is equally innovation and ROI-driven.
• Faster software development (25%), more rapid innovation (23%), and productivity time savings (22%) ranked as the three most important metrics surveyed ITDMs use to calculate ROI from AI investments. Hard dollar/quantifiable savings was a distant fourth at 15%.
• Nearly half (47%) of surveyed companies say they are achieving positive ROI from their AI projects; 33% say they are breaking even and just 14% say they are recording negative ROI.
  • Among companies not yet achieving positive ROI, less than half (44%) expect to begin seeing dollar savings within the next 1 to 2 years; 92% believe they will turn a positive ROI within 3 years.

To view the full study, visit: https://newsroom.ibm.com/image/IBM_ROI_of_AI_Report-December_2024.pdf

Study Methodology:
Morning Consult conducted a survey from October 30 to November 13, 2024 among a total sample of 2,413 IT Decision Makers (ITDMS) in the US, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, UK, France, Germany, Spain, India, Singapore, Indonesia, and South Korea. The interviews were conducted online, and the data is unweighted. Respondents are employed at companies with 101 employees or more, serving in director-level or higher roles within a technology role, with decision-making authority over at least one of the following: management of business consultants/consulting services, purchasing for IT products, or purchasing for business consulting services.

About IBM
IBM is a leading provider of global hybrid cloud and AI, and consulting expertise. We help clients in more than 175 countries capitalize on insights from their data, streamline business processes, reduce costs and gain the competitive edge in their industries. More than 4,000 government and corporate entities in critical infrastructure areas such as financial services, telecommunications and healthcare rely on IBM's hybrid cloud platform and Red Hat OpenShift to affect their digital transformations quickly, efficiently and securely. IBM's breakthrough innovations in AI, quantum computing, industry-specific cloud solutions and consulting deliver open and flexible options to our clients. All of this is backed by IBM's long-standing commitment to trust, transparency, responsibility, inclusivity and service. Visit www.ibm.com for more information.

Media Contact:
Marisa Conway
IBM Corporate Communications
conwaym@us.ibm.com

ARMONK, N.Y., Dec. 19, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- New research commissioned by IBM (NYSE: IBM) found that companies surveyed are investing in AI for the long term, with a growing interest in using open-source tools to drive ROI and innovation going forward.

The study of more than 2,400 IT decision makers (ITDMs), conducted by Morning Consult and developed in collaboration with Lopez Research, revealed that 85% of respondents report making progress in executing their 2024 AI strategy, with nearly half (47%) already seeing positive ROI from their AI investments. The data also confirms that using open-source tools for AI solutions may correlate to greater financial viability: 51% of surveyed companies currently utilizing open-source AI tools report seeing positive ROI, as compared to just 41% of those not using open source.

Nearly two-thirds (62%) of all respondents indicate they will increase their AI investments in 2025, while 48% are planning to leverage open-source ecosystems to optimize their AI implementations. For those surveyed companies not currently utilizing open-source, 2 in 5 say they plan to use open source for AI implementation in 2025.

"As organizations begin to implement AI at scale, many are placing greater stock in success metrics such as productivity gains, in part because traditional hard dollar ROI benefits have yet to show up on the balance sheets," said Maribel Lopez of Lopez Research. "Yet, companies continue to rapidly advance their AI strategies, with no sign of slowing down. Companies now recognize the value of defining specific use cases and optimizing AI projects. They are leveraging hybrid cloud strategies and open source to drive AI innovation and deliver financial returns."

Further study findings include:

Enterprises are ramping up AI investment, but with a greater strategic focus

 Open source is becoming crucial to companies' AI strategies

• 6-in-10 ITDMs surveyed report using open-source ecosystems as an AI tool source, and more AI solutions are expected to be based on open source in the coming year (41% in 2025 vs. 37% in 2024).
• More than 80% of respondents report that at least a quarter of their company's AI solutions or platforms are based on open source.
  • As company size increases, so does the likelihood that the majority (over 50%) of AI solutions are based on open source.

• Surveyed companies utilizing open-source ecosystems are more likely to be achieving positive ROI than those that are not (51% vs. 41%).
• In addition, respondents harnessing open-source ecosystems plan to launch more AI pilots in the coming year than those that are not: 38% say they plan to launch 21+ AI pilots in 2025, compared to 26% at companies not using open source for AI tooling.

Organizations report successfully advancing their AI projects, but often through less traditional ROI metrics

• 85% of surveyed ITDMs report making progress in executing their AI strategy, while only 9% report no progress.
• 58% of respondents say their company typically moves from AI pilot to full production in less than a year.
• 31% of surveyed companies say their AI investments are driven more by innovation, compared to 28% that are more ROI driven; 41% indicate that their organization is equally innovation and ROI-driven.
• Faster software development (25%), more rapid innovation (23%), and productivity time savings (22%) ranked as the three most important metrics surveyed ITDMs use to calculate ROI from AI investments. Hard dollar/quantifiable savings was a distant fourth at 15%.
• Nearly half (47%) of surveyed companies say they are achieving positive ROI from their AI projects; 33% say they are breaking even and just 14% say they are recording negative ROI.
  • Among companies not yet achieving positive ROI, less than half (44%) expect to begin seeing dollar savings within the next 1 to 2 years; 92% believe they will turn a positive ROI within 3 years.

To view the full study, visit: https://newsroom.ibm.com/image/IBM_ROI_of_AI_Report-December_2024.pdf

Study Methodology:
Morning Consult conducted a survey from October 30 to November 13, 2024 among a total sample of 2,413 IT Decision Makers (ITDMS) in the US, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, UK, France, Germany, Spain, India, Singapore, Indonesia, and South Korea. The interviews were conducted online, and the data is unweighted. Respondents are employed at companies with 101 employees or more, serving in director-level or higher roles within a technology role, with decision-making authority over at least one of the following: management of business consultants/consulting services, purchasing for IT products, or purchasing for business consulting services.

About IBM
IBM is a leading provider of global hybrid cloud and AI, and consulting expertise. We help clients in more than 175 countries capitalize on insights from their data, streamline business processes, reduce costs and gain the competitive edge in their industries. More than 4,000 government and corporate entities in critical infrastructure areas such as financial services, telecommunications and healthcare rely on IBM's hybrid cloud platform and Red Hat OpenShift to affect their digital transformations quickly, efficiently and securely. IBM's breakthrough innovations in AI, quantum computing, industry-specific cloud solutions and consulting deliver open and flexible options to our clients. All of this is backed by IBM's long-standing commitment to trust, transparency, responsibility, inclusivity and service. Visit www.ibm.com for more information.

Media Contact:
Marisa Conway
IBM Corporate Communications
conwaym@us.ibm.com

** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **

IBM Study: More Companies Turning to Open-Source AI Tools to Unlock ROI

IBM Study: More Companies Turning to Open-Source AI Tools to Unlock ROI

• Company named "Best Financially Managed Semiconductor Company (Achieving Greater than $1 Billion in Annual Sales)" and "Outstanding Asia-Pacific Semiconductor Company" simultaneously
• Accelerates recovery from market downturn leveraging world-class HBM leadership; Global management performance recognized
• Reflects company's technology leadership and customer-centric execution
• SK Chairman Chey Tae-won emphasizes: "Technological competitiveness must remain unwavering in challenging times"
• Commits to driving new customer value and leading global AI market growth as a "Full-Stack AI Memory Creator"

SEOUL, South Korea, Dec. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- SK hynix Inc. (or "the company", www.skhynix.com) announced today that it has been named the winner of the Best Financially Managed Semiconductor Company Award (Achieving Greater than $1 Billion in Annual Sales)^[1] and the Outstanding Asia-Pacific Semiconductor Company Award^[2] at the Global Semiconductor Alliance (GSA)^[3] Awards 2025, held on December 4 PST in Santa Clara, California.

[1]The Best Financially Managed Semiconductor Company Award: A category recognizing public semiconductor companies based on financial soundness and operational efficiency. Awards are presented in two categories — annual sales over $1 billion and annual sales under $1 billion — and are considered among the most authoritative honors in the global semiconductor industry.

[2]Outstanding Asia-Pacific Semiconductor Company Award: A special category recognizing semiconductor companies headquartered in the Asia-Pacific region based on comprehensive evaluations including product excellence, business vision, leadership, and market success.

[3]GSA(Global Semiconductor Alliance): A global CEO-level semiconductor organization serving as a hub for technological information sharing across more than 25 countries and over 250 corporate members.

The GSA Awards, organized annually since 1996, are regarded as the most prestigious honors in the global semiconductor sector, recognizing outstanding performance in leadership, financial results and industry reputation. SK hynix secured its second win in the financial management category following 2017, and its first recognition as the top Asia-Pacific semiconductor company. The dual achievement reinforces the company's reputation as a leading global technology innovator.

While the semiconductor industry faced a severe downturn just two years ago, the company has been the fastest to rebound thanks to its advanced AI memory technologies including HBM. This performance has resulted in global recognition for its operational excellence and financial execution. SK hynix plans to continue building sustainable growth with its dominant leadership in the AI memory market.

The awards reflect the company's proactive delivery of groundbreaking HBM solutions and its steadfast commitment to customer-centric performance in surging global AI demand. SK Chairman Chey Tae-won has consistently emphasized that securing technological competitiveness must remain unwavering, especially during challenging times. This long-term focus on technology investment and global cooperation network has contributed to the company's improved performance and reinforced financial health.

Driven by this strategy, SK hynix has recorded historic performance throughout 2025. For the first three quarters, the company reported revenue of 64 trillion won and operating profit of 28 trillion won in total, positioning it well to surpass its previous full-year earnings record set in 2024 (66 trillion won in revenue and 23 trillion won in operating profit).

Financial health has also significantly strengthened. As of the end of the third quarter, cash and cash equivalents reached 27.9 trillion won, up 10.9 trillion won quarter-over-quarter, while interest bearing debt decreased to 24.1 trillion won— successfully transitioning into a net cash position of approximately 4 trillion won.

To secure long-term leadership in AI memory, SK hynix is accelerating major investments. The Cheongju M15X fab, which opened its cleanroom earlier than planned in October, is on track to begin HBM mass production in the first half of next year. Construction of the first fab in the Yongin Semiconductor Cluster, launched in February, is also progressing ahead of schedule.

With its recent financial achievements and continued expansion, SK hynix is expected to further solidify its AI memory leadership going forward.

SK hynix was represented at the ceremony by Justin Kim, President & Head of AI Infra at SK hynix, and Sungsoo Ryu, President of SK hynix America. "It is a great honor to receive this award." Kim said, "We will continue to lead the market and create new value for customers as a Full-Stack AI Memory Creator, driving growth across the global AI ecosystem."

About SK hynix Inc.

SK hynix Inc., headquartered in Korea, is the world's top tier semiconductor supplier offering Dynamic Random Access Memory chips ("DRAM") and flash memory chips ("NAND flash") for a wide range of distinguished customers globally. The Company's shares are traded on the Korea Exchange, and the Global Depository shares are listed on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange. Further information about SK hynix is available at www.skhynix.com, news.skhynix.com.

SEOUL, South Korea, Dec. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- SK hynix Inc. (or "the company", www.skhynix.com) announced today that it has been named the winner of the Best Financially Managed Semiconductor Company Award (Achieving Greater than $1 Billion in Annual Sales)^[1] and the Outstanding Asia-Pacific Semiconductor Company Award^[2] at the Global Semiconductor Alliance (GSA)^[3] Awards 2025, held on December 4 PST in Santa Clara, California.

[1]The Best Financially Managed Semiconductor Company Award: A category recognizing public semiconductor companies based on financial soundness and operational efficiency. Awards are presented in two categories — annual sales over $1 billion and annual sales under $1 billion — and are considered among the most authoritative honors in the global semiconductor industry.

[2]Outstanding Asia-Pacific Semiconductor Company Award: A special category recognizing semiconductor companies headquartered in the Asia-Pacific region based on comprehensive evaluations including product excellence, business vision, leadership, and market success.

[3]GSA(Global Semiconductor Alliance): A global CEO-level semiconductor organization serving as a hub for technological information sharing across more than 25 countries and over 250 corporate members.

^[1]The Best Financially Managed Semiconductor Company Award: A category recognizing public semiconductor companies based on financial soundness and operational efficiency. Awards are presented in two categories — annual sales over $1 billion and annual sales under $1 billion — and are considered among the most authoritative honors in the global semiconductor industry.

^[2]Outstanding Asia-Pacific Semiconductor Company Award: A special category recognizing semiconductor companies headquartered in the Asia-Pacific region based on comprehensive evaluations including product excellence, business vision, leadership, and market success.

^[3]GSA(Global Semiconductor Alliance): A global CEO-level semiconductor organization serving as a hub for technological information sharing across more than 25 countries and over 250 corporate members.

The GSA Awards, organized annually since 1996, are regarded as the most prestigious honors in the global semiconductor sector, recognizing outstanding performance in leadership, financial results and industry reputation. SK hynix secured its second win in the financial management category following 2017, and its first recognition as the top Asia-Pacific semiconductor company. The dual achievement reinforces the company's reputation as a leading global technology innovator.

While the semiconductor industry faced a severe downturn just two years ago, the company has been the fastest to rebound thanks to its advanced AI memory technologies including HBM. This performance has resulted in global recognition for its operational excellence and financial execution. SK hynix plans to continue building sustainable growth with its dominant leadership in the AI memory market.

The awards reflect the company's proactive delivery of groundbreaking HBM solutions and its steadfast commitment to customer-centric performance in surging global AI demand. SK Chairman Chey Tae-won has consistently emphasized that securing technological competitiveness must remain unwavering, especially during challenging times. This long-term focus on technology investment and global cooperation network has contributed to the company's improved performance and reinforced financial health.

Driven by this strategy, SK hynix has recorded historic performance throughout 2025. For the first three quarters, the company reported revenue of 64 trillion won and operating profit of 28 trillion won in total, positioning it well to surpass its previous full-year earnings record set in 2024 (66 trillion won in revenue and 23 trillion won in operating profit).

Financial health has also significantly strengthened. As of the end of the third quarter, cash and cash equivalents reached 27.9 trillion won, up 10.9 trillion won quarter-over-quarter, while interest bearing debt decreased to 24.1 trillion won— successfully transitioning into a net cash position of approximately 4 trillion won.

To secure long-term leadership in AI memory, SK hynix is accelerating major investments. The Cheongju M15X fab, which opened its cleanroom earlier than planned in October, is on track to begin HBM mass production in the first half of next year. Construction of the first fab in the Yongin Semiconductor Cluster, launched in February, is also progressing ahead of schedule.

With its recent financial achievements and continued expansion, SK hynix is expected to further solidify its AI memory leadership going forward.

SK hynix was represented at the ceremony by Justin Kim, President & Head of AI Infra at SK hynix, and Sungsoo Ryu, President of SK hynix America. "It is a great honor to receive this award." Kim said, "We will continue to lead the market and create new value for customers as a Full-Stack AI Memory Creator, driving growth across the global AI ecosystem."

About SK hynix Inc.

SK hynix Inc., headquartered in Korea, is the world's top tier semiconductor supplier offering Dynamic Random Access Memory chips ("DRAM") and flash memory chips ("NAND flash") for a wide range of distinguished customers globally. The Company's shares are traded on the Korea Exchange, and the Global Depository shares are listed on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange. Further information about SK hynix is available at www.skhynix.com, news.skhynix.com.

** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **

SK hynix Honored with Two Major Titles at GSA Awards 2025