COMMON POWERUp 2025

Let’s discuss the alphabet soup that is AI and see how all the parts fit together.

Your IBM i applications still run the business — but what happens when the people who understand them retire, and documentation falls short? In this session, we’ll explore how companies are using Ozgar.ai to uncover and organize years of undocumented logic, system dependencies, and tribal knowledge hidden deep inside legacy code. Drawing from real use cases, we’ll walk through how Ozgar.ai helps teams build AI-ready knowledge hubs — without rewriting a line of code. You’ll see how smart automation bridges the gap between aging systems and modern understanding, making changes safer, faster, and more confident.

IT-PS as founder of TRIN[IT]Y has a very long history of using External Storage in connection with IBM i. Because of that IT-Power Services started more than 15 years ago to develop an on-premise or cloud based End-2-End Performance Monitoring solution for the entire IT-stack – from External Storage – via SAN and Virtualization Layer, till the Server OS – all of them easy viewable in ONE Performance chart including 5 different performance-metrics. Based on these possibilities it is easily possible to identify and drill down performance of configuration issues, or to size future upgrades. With the built-in predictive module performance anomalies could be detected in real time. Additionally an IT-accounting system was added, that cand be used to allocate IT costs to different services or customers.

Some of the brightest people in our community don't seem really to grasp the essentials of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Large Language Models (LLMs). Part of it is the hype, which is historic, obscuring the facts. Another part is fear. Let's lay this to rest and look at what really is happening.

The field of AI is evolving at an unprecedented pace. This session will provide an up-to-the-minute look at the latest AI advancements, including OpenAI’s latest models, DeepSeek R1, and leading competitors. We’ll explore benchmarks like SWE, IBM’s upcoming RPG Coding Assistant, and key trends like AI Agents and Chain of Thought reasoning.

AI has become an unstoppable and unavoidable force in the industry. When you integrate IBM i with a powerful AI stack, the potential is indescribable! In this session, we will learn about some key AI technologies and explore a couple techniques for integrating IBM i with them.

Gain insights into code and data by effectively using information from AI tooling and RPG Code Assistant to accelerate application development. This session will explore AI's inner workings and workflows through real-world test cases and live demonstrations. We will offer a clear and engaging look at AI’s practical applications and how you can apply these learnings to your development journey. 

Come and see an RPG code assistant specifically trained for RPG and IBM i.

In the rapidly evolving field of artificial intelligence, the ethical implications of AI systems have become a critical concern for developers, researchers, and policymakers alike. This session aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the ethical challenges posed by AI and offer practical techniques to address hate, abuse, and profanity (HAP), biases, and violations of privacy or intellectual property.

AI is transforming software development across all platforms, and IBM i is no exception. But how do you effectively leverage these powerful tools while maintaining the high standards IBM i users expect? In this session, we'll cut through the hype and show you practical applications of AI in daily IBM i development. From code generation to documentation to testing to cool new AI-based application capabilities, you'll see real-world examples of how AI can enhance productivity while preserving code quality. We'll demonstrate best practices for AI integration and provide guidance for successful implementation in your environment.

This session will introduce IBM i developers to GitHub Copilot and demonstrate how it can enhance RPG programming. We’ll cover installation and setup within VS Code, including the Code for IBM i extension. Attendees will see how Copilot generates code, assists with debugging, and improves efficiency through inline suggestions and Copilot Chat.

Valence 6.3, the popular web and mobile framework for IBM i, includes a browser-based low-code development utility called Nitro App Builder (NAB), through which anyone with a solid understanding of their IBM i database can build and deploy dazzling web or mobile apps in a matter of minutes.

With newly integrated IBM i-centric AI functionality, developers can use NAB to very quickly create a broad range of applications — from simple dashboard and inquiry apps, complete with download-to-Excel functionality, to highly intricate and intuitive data entry apps.

All of this can be achieved with no coding, though IBM i developers can easily extend functionality with RPG or SQL code to handle business logic as needed. Advanced programmers comfortable with HTML5 and JavaScript code can take things even further, creating super elaborate apps that work hand-in-hand with server-side RPG logic through the Valence Portal. And as of this latest release, you can use the integrated AI assistant to write much of the code for you!

The bottom line: With Valence, whether you're a seasoned RPG developer or a super user with intimate knowledge of your system's physical files, you can crank out highly functional web and mobile apps on IBM i in no time — no prior experience in web or mobile development required. Come to this quick demo session to see the latest release of the Valence framework, and how easy it is to quickly build and deploy web apps on your IBM i system.

If time permits, some actual deployed IBM i customer applications from various industries will be demonstrated as well.

The top priorities of IBM Power clients when integrating AI capabilities into their solutions are simplicity and performance. Both properties have driven the AI with IBM Power strategy since the past two years and have now led to significant innovation with products such as IBM Spyre Accelerator for Power, Code Assistant for IBM i, and more.

This session gives an overview of these innovations in light of the overall strategy and outlines the roadmap for what's next. The session covers concrete customer examples and live demonstrations of typical fit-for-purpose AI use cases on IBM Power, often targeting Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Enterprise Content Management (ECM) systems. An example are RAG architectures for digital assistants interacting with such systems, driven by large language models such as IBM/Granite & Meta/Llama.

Learning Objectives:
- Understand the AI with IBM Power strategy
- Get informed about upcoming capabilities
- Learn how AI can help in typical IBM Power contexts (ITOps & Dev, ERP & ECM systems, specific focus industries) based on references, examples, and demos
- Q&A for anything about AI with Power

Explore the fascinating world of AI, where we will demonstrate its possibilities and how it can be used to improve our lives. We will discuss some of the latest technologies available and work with them in real time. This session is perfect for anyone looking to learn more about AI and the potential it has to offer.

You've probably heard a bit about watsonx lately. Between watsonx.ai, watsonx.governance, and watsonx.data, there's a full suite of tooling to deploy and manage AI workloads. In this session, get an introductory peek at what the toolsets look like, and explore how they might be used for your organization

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is often portrayed as a panacea for the world's challenges, with futuristic depictions overshadowing its practical, present-day capabilities. This session aims to demystify AI by showcasing real-world use cases that drive tangible business value. We will explore how AI is being effectively deployed across various industries to optimize operations, enhance customer experiences, and drive growth. By focusing on the here and now, this session seeks to empower businesses to harness the power of AI today, rather than waiting for the promises of tomorrow. Join us to learn how AI can be a practical tool for your business, delivering measurable results and a competitive edge.

Embark on a journey to understand neural networks! This session takes a dive into the math behind neural networks. We will also explores their applications, and demonstrate how they power AI innovations across industries.

Artificial Intelligence is transforming industries and reshaping how businesses operate, innovate, and grow. This session dives into a diverse mix of hot topics in AI, designed to spark ideas and foster discussion.

AI is more than just a buzzword—it is a powerful tool that can transform businesses when applied strategically. But what does it really mean to "do AI? This session will break down the reality behind AI adoption, exploring how companies are successfully leveraging AI, common misconceptions and unrealistic expectations that often hinder progress. Finally, we will provide a practical roadmap for getting started, from clarifying your AI goals to determining whether AI is the right solution for your business.

In this session, we'll explore how this AI tool from xAI can revolutionize your IT practice. We'll introduce GROK's core features, its unique approach to problem-solving, and its application in enhancing decision-making, data analysis, and technical communication. Learn best practices for integrating GROK into presentations, technical integration with IT tools, and how to navigate its limitations. The session will conclude with a recap, a call to action for practical application