1) IBM and Delta have expanded a multi-year services agreement to migrate the airline’s applications to the cloud. Delta will move to a hybrid cloud architecture built on Red Hat OpenShift, and has been retooling during the COVID-19 pandemic with the aim of rebounding in 2021 and 2022 as travel picks up. Like other businesses, Delta has had to accelerate its digital transformation plans, by utilizing IBM’s services, hybrid cloud architecture and roadmaps to migrate its applications. In addition, Delta will also leverage IBM software such as CloudPaks and co-create applications.
2) The relentless rise in lumber prices shows no signs of subsiding as the pandemic keeps people at home, thereby spurring a home renovation boom. Prices have climbed almost 40% this year, fueling concerns for home builders. Surge in lumber prices is adding thousands of dollars to the cost of a new home and causing some builders to abruptly halt projects at a time when inventories are down. This demand has handicapped producers’ abilities to restock inventories quickly, further pushing prices up. There are fears that the rise in lumber will spark inflation bleeding into the home-buying market.
3) It appears that robots will soon have a big role in the construction industry, but until these machines can automatically prioritize tasks, project managers will still need to manually assess and appraise how the project is progressing. The construction industry’s productivity has trailed that of other economic sectors for decades, and there is a $1.6 trillion dollar opportunity to close the gap. AI and deep learning can make robotics useful across the construction industry. Now, AI startup Buildots has been taking its first steps to make this happen. Buildots attaches 360-degree cameras onto project managers’ hardhats to collect footage inside the construction site and analyze the image-data. On a typical site, there are tens of thousands of different construction activities. Tasks can be as small as installing a door handle, or as big as laying a brick wall. The Buildots platform automatically captures data using the cameras, and compares it to the designs and project schedule. It analyzes every electrical outlet, wall, or window, separately to determine its exact state relative to that expected on the plans. Deep learning models and algorithms such as the AI-based image stabilization engine, person data removal which removes people, phone/tablet screens, and paper notes and status classification can transform the visual data into insights. The AI system is able to assess if each item is completed or behind schedule and notify managers of what needs to be done.
4) Stock market closings for – 22 FEB 21:
Dow 31,521.69 up by 27.37
Nasdaq 13,533.05 down by 341.41
S&P 500 3,876.50 down by 30.21
10 Year Yield: up at 1.37%
Oil: up at $62.19