Ingram Micro CEO On Launching AI Agent In Xvantage Platform: ‘It’s About Transforming How Technology Partners Grow’

‘We’re combining our internal data mesh, which houses over 400 trained AI models, with Google’s Gemini external models. Together, they help our teams and partners see opportunities that were invisible before,’ says Ingram Micro CEO Paul Bay.

Ingram Micro is taking its AI game to the next level with the launch of its first AI Agent inside the Xvantage platform. The AI agent can think, learn and sell at enterprise scale.

Built with Google’s Gemini models and developed within Ingram’s patented Xvantage AI Factory, the new Sales Briefing Assistant is designed to make selling smarter and faster across the company’s global network.

It pulls together market data, customer activity and predictive insights into a single, actionable daily brief, providing opportunities sooner and delivering real-time, data-driven recommendations.

“This announcement represents the next step in our three-year journey to make AI operational at scale,” Ingram Micro CEO Paul Bay (pictured) told CRN in an interview. “We’re combining our internal data mesh, which houses over 400 trained AI models, with Google’s Gemini external models. Together, they help our teams and partners see opportunities that were invisible before.”

Ingram Micro’s Xvantage platform is designed to simplify and automate how partners and vendors do business with Ingram Micro. The platform serves as a unified, AI-driven ecosystem that brings together commerce, insights and operational tools in one place. It leverages data analytics, automation and machine learning to give users real-time visibility into inventory, pricing and customer opportunities while streamlining everything from quoting to fulfillment.

By embedding Gemini within its Xvantage AI Factory, the Irvine, Calif.-based distributor’s goal is to strengthen how it anticipates customer needs, accelerates decision-making and drives measurable outcomes across its ecosystem. The AI Factory has evolved into a “strategic and operational model” for continuously building and improving AI-powered systems across business units.

“We’re thrilled to see the continued innovation within the Xvantage platform, especially with the integration of advanced AI like Gemini,” James Rocker, CEO of Hauppauge, NY-based Nerds That Care, told CRN in a text. “These enhancements are a testament to Ingram Micro’s commitment to enabling smarter, more agile operations across the channel. As the industry becomes increasingly digital, tools like this empower our teams to deliver greater value while preserving the essential human element of business. Technology should elevate, not replace, the relationships that drive trust, collaboration and long-term success.”

Bay said the Sales Briefing Assistant is also part of Ingram Micro’s broader agentic AI strategy, positioning its Xvantage platform “as a bridge between B2B complexity and a B2C-style experience.”

“We’re enabling natural language queries like, ‘Which of my customers are due for a tech refresh?’ or ‘Where am I missing cross-sell opportunities?’” he said. “That’s how you turn data into decisions—in seconds, not days.”

The company is now mapping business processes into AI agents to deliver even more intelligence directly to users.

“Our strategy always starts with our partners,” he said. “Over the next few years, we’ll keep building AI that helps them move from instant supply to instant demand, freeing time to focus on being trusted advisors to their end customers. This isn’t just about faster insights. It’s about transforming how technology partners grow and compete in a data-driven world.”

Mike Cervino says he’s eager to see how Ingram Micro’s new AI capabilities could impact day-to-day sales work, especially when it comes to uncovering growth opportunities.

“I’m excited to see what’s coming,” Cervino, co-founder and CEO of Radnor, Pa.-based MSP Circle Square, told CRN in an interview. “Anything that can help us with sales growth insights, I’m all about it.”

More announcements are to come this week during Ingram Micro’s One event, being held in Washington, D.C.

“We’re excited about One and the conversations we’re having with our business partners about shaping what’s next in the technology landscape,” Cervino told CRN. “We’re expanding our community globally, building on the success we’ve had in North America and Europe, and extending that momentum across all four regions.”

The announcements also come on the heels of another strong quarter for Ingram Micro, which last week reported year-over-year growth for the third quarter.

For Q3, Ingram reported net sales of $12.6 billion, compared to $11.8 billion in the prior fiscal third quarter. It also reported a gross profit of $869.6 million and net income of $99.5 million. As of Monday morning, Ingram’s stock was trading at $22.66 per share, up from $19.50 three months prior.

“Interest rates and inflation easing are helping,” Bay said. “But more importantly, SMBs are back to investing in technology—cloud, networking, cyber—to drive productivity. That’s fueling growth.”