‘I am thrilled about our expanding partnership with HPE and the impact we can make on our customers by delivering transformative AI outcomes,’ says WWT CEO Jim Kavanaugh. ‘Together, let’s shape the future of AI!’

World Wide Technology (WWT) CEO Jim Kavanaugh said Tuesday that the $20 billion solution provider behemoth is “thrilled” about “expanding” its partnership with Hewlett Packard Enterprise in a bid to deliver “transformative AI outcomes” for customers.

Kavanaugh’s comments came after WWT, No. 9 on the CRN SP500, hosted HPE CEO Antonio Neri and HPE Executive Vice President and General Manager Hybrid Cloud and CTO Fidelma Russo on Monday.

“We discussed the potential of AI, not just as a technology, but as a catalyst for business transformation, and discussed how our partnership could shape this strategic vision,” said Kavanaugh in a LinkedIn post. “We also discussed the massive impact of AI and the need to move with speed!’

[Related: WWT On ‘Huge’ AI Customer Demand, Microsoft and GenAI Strategy]

CRN reached out to WWT and HPE for comment.

Kavanaugh said the conversation with HPE’s top executives “underscored the significance of collaboration and synergy” in delivering AI business outcome-based solutions.

Kavanaugh said a “focal point” of the discussion with HPE was centered on WWT’s ATC AI Proving Ground, a multivendor lab environment that lets customers “experiment, test, and innovate with the latest AI hardware, software, and reference architectures in a secure, scalable, and transparent manner.”

One sign of WWT’s AI prowess is being named in April as the Americas AI Solution Provider, Networking Partner of the Year by AI GPU superstar Nvidia.

Neri is set to host Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang at HPE’s annual Discover conference at the Sphere in Las Vegas on June 18.

Kavanaugh told CRN earlier this year that “AI is going to be the most transformative technology that’s impacted mankind in our history.”

Kavanaugh, who’s led the 10,500-employee strong company for over 30 years, said the AI customer and sales opportunities in 2024 for WWT and its partners is a game changer.

“Everybody’s talking about AI, but everybody is also trying to figure it out,” he said. “It’s happening so fast and so many new technologies and new capabilities are launching that customers are overwhelmed.”

Kavanaugh’s call to action from the HPE meeting: “Together, let’s shape the future of AI!”