In today's Cloud Wars Minute, I dive into Oracle's bold $1 billion-a-year move to power a massive AI-focused data center in West Texas using gas generators. Highlights 00:18 — Oracle is set to spend over a billion dollars a year to power a new mega data center in West Texas, using gas generators instead of waiting to be connected to the local utilities. The gas-powered site is being developed by Vantage Data Centers. It will cover 1,200 acres, house 10 data centers, and have a total capacity of ...
Aug 27, 2025•2 min•Ep. 536
In today's Cloud Wars Minute, I break down Workday’s strong Q2 results, highlighting how AI solutions, mid-market growth, government expansion, partner-driven value, and global initiatives are fueling momentum. Highlights 00:14 — Workday recently posted a very nice fiscal Q2, ended July 31. I pulled out growth factors from the earnings call. Just a quick recap here: for Q2, its subscription revenue was up 14% to $2.17 billion, while their current RPO was up 16.4% to almost $8 billion. So, strong...
Aug 26, 2025•5 min•Ep. 535
In today’s Cloud Wars Minute, I break down SAP’s strategic acquisition of SmartRecruiters and what it means for the future of AI-powered talent acquisition within the SuccessFactors HCM suite. Highlights 00:03 — SAP has announced that it has agreed to acquire the talent acquisition software provider SmartRecruiters. SAP plans to integrate the company’s comprehensive suite of AI-powered talent acquisition tools into its existing SuccessFactors Human Capital Management or HCM Suite. 00:43 — Muhamm...
Aug 25, 2025•2 min•Ep. 534
In today’s Cloud Wars Minute, I explain how Oracle is transforming healthcare with its AI-driven, cloud-native EHR, setting a bold path toward intelligent care. Highlights 00:02 — Oracle has introduced an updated version of Oracle Health EHR , or Electronic Health Record, for ambulatory providers in the U.S., built on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure . The new system features native AI agents that operate together as an orchestrated system for maximum process efficiency. 00:29 — The new Oracle Health...
Aug 22, 2025•2 min•Ep. 533
In today's Cloud Wars Minute, I look at how the four hyperscalers are now spending a billion dollars every day on CapEx to keep up with explosive AI demand. Highlights 00:19 — The four hyperscalers — AWS, Microsoft, Google, and Oracle — are now spending, as of Q2, a combined billion dollars a day on CapEx to try to keep up with explosive AI demand. Here's where these numbers come from. And I will say here, I'm calling it Q2, but Oracle's quarter ended May 31. 01:00 — But these are very close for...
Aug 21, 2025•5 min•Ep. 532
In today's Cloud Wars Minute, I break down a major move by the U.S. government and AWS. Highlights 00:02 —The U.S. government is being given access to $1 billion in AWS credits for use until the close of 2028 to help bolster federal cloud adoption and IT modernization efforts. 00:38 — We're seeing companies in the Cloud Wars Top 10 and beyond offering the U.S. federal government massive discounts to secure contracts under the administration's AI Action Plan. Companies like DocuSign, Adobe , and ...
Aug 20, 2025•2 min•Ep. 531
Wei Hu is the Senior Vice President, High Availability Technologies, at Oracle. In today's Cloud Wars Live, Hu sits down with Bob Evans for a wide-ranging discussion on Oracle’s globally distributed database, AI-native workloads, and how Oracle is helping businesses meet data sovereignty requirements while delivering high performance, elasticity, and always-on availability across regions. Where AI Meets Your Data The Big Themes: Globally Distributed Exadata Database on Exascale : Oracle’s Global...
Aug 19, 2025•23 min•Ep. 528
In today's Cloud Wars Minute, I explored why the groundbreaking Oracle–Google Cloud partnership around Gemini AI marks a bold new era for multi-cloud collaboration. Highlights 00:14 — It's a brilliant move by Oracle and Google Cloud to form a partnership where Gemini AI is now available on the Oracle Cloud. Gemini on OCI is pretty wild. Both Oracle and Google compete viciously against each other. At the same time, they're both customer-centric enough to say: " ... in this other area, we're going...
Aug 19, 2025•5 min•Ep. 530
In today's Cloud Wars Minute, I take a closer look at AWS’s market positioning and the narrative shared during its recent earnings call. Highlights 00:36 — I was puzzled by some of the math and the numbers that Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, speaking on behalf of AWS on the Amazon earnings call , used in trying to describe the competitive position that AWS finds itself in. 01:28 — We've got AWS, now on a $123 billion annualized run rate, and which grew 17.5% in Q2, which is extremely good for a company ...
Aug 18, 2025•6 min•Ep. 529
In today's Cloud Wars Minute, I explore AWS's bold new approach to eliminating AI hallucinations using automated reasoning and formal logic. Highlights 00:04 — AWS has announced that automated reasoning checks, a new Amazon Bedrock guardrails policy, are now generally available. In a blog post, AWS's Chief Evangelist (EMEA), Danilo Poccia said that: "Automated reasoning checks help you validate the accuracy of content generated by foundation models against domain knowledge. This can help prevent...
Aug 15, 2025•2 min•Ep. 527
In today's Cloud Wars Minute, I unpack the strategy behind Microsoft’s $368B in contracted cloud business and Q4 surge. Highlights 00:39 — CEO Satya Nadella explained what was behind this huge growth in Microsoft's Azure revenue in Q4, which ended June 30. Overall cloud revenue for the quarter was up 27% to $46.7 billion. This is the first time it's ever released any revenue figures for Azure. 01:14 — Azure was up — I think it was 34% — to more than $75 billion. So, I divided four into 75, got a...
Aug 14, 2025•5 min•Ep. 526
In today’s Cloud Wars Minute, I cover Snowflake’s investment in Hightouch to advance agentic AI for personalized marketing. Highlights 00:03 — Snowflake Ventures , the investment arm of Snowflake, alongside Capital One Ventures , has announced an investment in Hightouch, a data and AI platform focused on personalized, targeted marketing. In 2024, Hightouch launched an agentic AI solution for lifecycle marketing called AI Decisioning. 00:35 — Adam Kaufman , Vice President, Global Head of Industry...
Aug 13, 2025•2 min•Ep. 525
In today's Cloud Wars Minute, I take a closer look at what may be the biggest B2B deal in tech history, Larry Ellison’s $100B+ agreement with OpenAI. Highlights 00:15 — We've seen some extraordinary things happen with OpenAI and the alliances it has had. For the first several years of its existence, it was tightly paired with Microsoft. That has changed dramatically now, and OpenAI is now tightly entwined with Oracle. 02:01 — What Oracle said in a document it filed was that it has a cloud servic...
Aug 12, 2025•6 min•Ep. 524
In today's special edition of Cloud Wars Live, Bob Evans talks with Kris Rice, Senior Vice President, Software Development, Oracle Database, about the rapid rise of AI, the strategic impact of the new MCP Server, Oracle’s unique approach to integrating LLMs with private data, and what to expect at this year’s CloudWorld. Rice shares how Oracle is meeting developers where they are, enabling seamless AI-powered interactions with enterprise data. Inside Oracle’s MCP Strategy The Big Themes: Oracle’...
Aug 11, 2025•16 min•Ep. 520
In today’s Cloud Wars Minute, I discuss Satya Nadella’s bold Q4 claim that Microsoft is the #1 cloud provider, leaving rivals to fight for second place. Highlights 00:12 — Microsoft laid out a very clear, unmistakable story in Q4 that it is the biggest and right now certainly the most powerful, most influential cloud provider. CEO Satya Nadella used the opportunity of these unprecedented financial results to spread the word that, “We’re number one, and all of the other hyperscalers — Google, Ora...
Aug 11, 2025•5 min•Ep. 523
In today’s Cloud Wars Minute, I highlight how the rapid rise of AI — without the right security in place — could be the biggest unseen threat to your business. Highlights 00:03 — IBM's new "Cost of a Data Breach" report has revealed that while AI adoption is on the rise, AI security and governance are lagging significantly. Suja Viswesan, Vice President, Security and Runtime Products at IBM, explains that the data shows a gap between AI adoption and oversight already exists, and threat actors ar...
Aug 08, 2025•3 min•Ep. 522
In today's Cloud Wars Minute, I reveal why AWS’s growth, though strong in isolation, looks sluggish compared to its peers. Highlights 00:29 — We're seeing a distinct split looking at the Q2 numbers. We've got three sprinters — Microsoft, Google, and Oracle — and we've got one stroller, which is AWS. Now, also, just a quick detail: the first three companies — Microsoft, Google, and AWS — all follow the quarterly calendar pattern. 01:30 — Microsoft in Q1 grew 20% to $42.4 billion. In Q2, that grow...
Aug 07, 2025•6 min•Ep. 521
In today's Cloud Wars Minute, I break down reports of a potential $1.2 billion cloud deal between Google Cloud and ServiceNow, and what it means for the ever-intensifying battle among the cloud giants. Highlights 00:04 — Google Cloud has just secured a massive cloud deal with ServiceNow worth an estimated $1.2 billion over five years. In its latest filing, ServiceNow states that it's entered into various non-cancellable agreements with cloud service providers , under which it is committed to spe...
Aug 05, 2025•2 min•Ep. 519
business history. Highlights 00:14 — Now, any question about this greatest growth market the world has ever known was blown away last week, when Microsoft reported its fiscal Q4 earnings. And I think Microsoft's Q4 results have to be regarded as the greatest quarterly results of any company in any industry of all time. 00:40 — Now, I cannot say that I have done a rigorous analysis of every quarterly report from every company in every industry there's ever been. But I will be wide open to hearing...
Aug 04, 2025•6 min•Ep. 518
Welcome to the Cloud Wars Minute — your daily cloud news and commentary show. Each episode provides insights and perspectives around the “reimagination machine” that is the cloud. In today’s Cloud Wars Minute, I explore the fierce competition among tech giants to attract the brightest minds in AI as the race for dominance ramps up a gear. Highlights 00:03 — As the battle for AI dominance among the Cloud Wars Top 10 heats up, the race for talent has escalated. The latest executive to switch sides...
Aug 01, 2025•2 min•Ep. 517
In today's Cloud Wars Minute, I share how IBM has built a $7.5 billion GenAI business in just 18 months, transforming everything from mainframes to consulting under the bold leadership of CEO Arvind Krishna . Highlights 00:13 — IBM last week reported its Q2 numbers. Very impressive. I thought one of the most interesting points was that in just 18 months, IBM has built up a GenAI business with a revenue run rate of $7.5 billion. And that GenAI impact is cutting across IBM's entire, huge product p...
Jul 31, 2025•5 min•Ep. 516
Bonnie Tinder is the founder and CEO of Raven Intelligence, an independent B2B peer review site that amplifies the voice of the customer. She focuses on software customers, consulting partners, and software vendors, and helps identify the best partners for their needs. In this episode, she joins Bob Evans to talk about the shifting landscape of enterprise consulting, the rise of AI-driven delivery models, and what these changes mean for both firms and customers navigating digital transformation....
Jul 30, 2025•20 min•Ep. 515
In today's Cloud Wars Minute, I spotlight a powerful joint message from two of Europe’s top tech CEOs, Siemens CEO Roland Busch and SAP CEO Christian Klein, who are urging the European Union to reconsider its AI legislation. Highlights 00:03 — The CEOs of Siemens and SAP have urged the EU to reconsider its AI legislation, expressing concerns that the current law hinders innovation. SAP CEO Christian Klein and Siemens CEO Roland Busch are advocating for a new regulatory framework that supports AI...
Jul 30, 2025•2 min•Ep. 514
Kim Lynch is the Executive Vice President of Government, Defense, and Intelligence, Oracle. She and Bob Evans sit down to discuss how public sector organizations are accelerating digital transformation with AI , cloud, and secure infrastructure. They explore critical challenges like regulatory compliance , procurement complexity, and legacy system modernization, as well as the growing need for scalable, mission-ready solutions. Kim also introduces Oracle’s Defense Ecosystem initiative. Oracle's ...
Jul 29, 2025•21 min•Ep. 512
In today's Cloud Wars Minute, I spotlight the 30% surge in $20M+ customers as proof of ServiceNow’s enterprise momentum. Highlights 00:48 — Let me briefly touch on some of the key numbers from ServiceNow in Q2. So, the top line there: Subscription revenue was up 22.5% to $3.11 billion. Big jump in total RPO, or Remaining Performance Obligation , up 29% to almost $24 billion. I want to point out, too, the subscription revenue growth in Q2 — 22.5% — that’s a big jump from the Q1 growth rate of 19....
Jul 29, 2025•5 min•Ep. 513
In today's Cloud Wars Minute, I break down Google Cloud’s explosive Q2 performance — including a 32% revenue jump, a $106 billion backlog, and a surge in billion-dollar deals. Highlights 00:14 — We saw a great re-acceleration by Google Cloud. In Q2, it recorded great numbers across the board. I think what this shows is that large enterprises are buying fully into the Google Cloud value proposition. It's made huge strides there. These are AI- hungry customers who realize they've got potentially a...
Jul 28, 2025•6 min•Ep. 511
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Jul 25, 2025•5 min•Ep. 509
Welcome to the Cloud Wars Minute — your daily cloud news and commentary show. Each episode provides insights and perspectives around the “reimagination machine” that is the cloud. In today’s Cloud Wars Minute, I take a closer look at SAP’s Q2 cloud performance—24% revenue growth and a 22% rise in current cloud backlog—slower than past quarters, but still dramatically outpacing rivals like Highlights 00:13 — One of the leaders in the Cloud Wars Top 10 , SAP, has been the fastest-growing enterpris...
Jul 24, 2025•5 min•Ep. 508
In today's Cloud Wars Minute, I explore how Microsoft is helping Thailand modernize its legal system using AI and cloud technologies to support its bid for OECD membership. Highlights 00:03 — Microsoft is helping to transform Thailand's legal system using AI and cloud technologies. The company is working closely with the Office of the Council of State. This effort is a critical part of the country's ambition to join the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, or OECD. 00:30 — At ...
Jul 23, 2025•2 min•Ep. 507
Highlights 00:14 — Later today, we will hear from SAP about its Q2 financial results. So the cloud revenue for the past six quarters: 24%, 25%, 27%, 20%, 27%, 27%. I’m projecting 27% for Q2. It's even been stronger in its cloud backlog numbers: 27%, 28%, 29%, up to 32% in the giant Q4 numbers, 28% in Q1. I’m projecting the backlog will go up 29% for Q2. 01:34 — Three months ago, after SAP released its Q1 numbers, CEO Christian Klein did an interview with Bloomberg TV, and he said something that ...
Jul 22, 2025•4 min•Ep. 506
