Watson the IBM super computer joins tech elite in San Francisco move

Jonathan Bloom Image
ByJonathan Bloom KGO logo
Friday, September 25, 2015
Watson the super computer moves to San Francisco
The greatest "Jeopardy!" player of all time is moving to San Francisco -- a computer named Watson.

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- The greatest "Jeopardy!" player of all time is moving to San Francisco -- a computer named Watson.

Watson, an IBM super computer, was a fearsome opponent on the game show and now Watson is looking to set up shop in the Bay Area.

"We had Watson look at what's the right neighborhood for us. What about proximity to exceptional talent and innovation? Well that's clear, right? Is the rent going to be in our budget? Clearly not," said Mike Rhodin, IBM Watson senior vice-president at a presentation Thursday.

Watson decided his new office would be South of Market in San Francisco.

For IBM, it was the logical choice to help bring Watson out into the world.

"The startups, all of the companies, the excitement that's going on in the area, so that's why we are opening up this facility today," Rhodin said.

A far cry from answers phrased in the form of a question, the answers Watson will help startups provide are ones that in many cases could help make people's lives less frustrating; from the shopping the wine aisle to doing the research on fantasy football. Understanding what's in every photo on Twitter and even managing pain.

"Understanding when a player's being mentioned, understand what the sentiment toward that player is. Is this a positive article about Aaron Rogers, or negative?" said Ilya Tabakh, Edge Up Sports CEO.

In fact, Watson could help win the XPrize for building a device straight out of the movies.