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Who will advance to the #CRNChannelMadness Quarterfinals? ?? That is up to you, dear readers. Round 2 starts *now!* Vote for your favorite chief here: https://okt.to/HpjBok. Round 2 runs until next Tuesday, March 25, at 12 PM ET. ??

With NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang asserting that the tech industry needs 100 times more computation than what was needed a year ago due to the rise of reasoning models, the AI leader presented how it will fulfill those needs with increasingly powerful AI computing platforms, networking gear and software. Dylan Martin breaks down 10 big announcements from NVIDIA GTC 2025: #GTC25

Wiz made early moves to embrace channel partners and continually made smart investments in its cloud and AI security platform, setting up the company to be a fast-growing disrupter that Google now plans to acquire for a record $32 billion, according to Cesar Enciso, founder and CEO of system integrator and Wiz partner EVOTEK. Enciso says there’s no question that partners were a central part of what enabled Wiz to achieve its unheard-of growth. Here’s what else Enciso shared with Kyle Alspach:

In this edition, we take a look at Google Cloud's planned acquisition of Wiz, including what the following channel partner and solution provider executives had to say about the deal: - Asif Hasan, CEO, Quantiphi - Michael Goldstein, president, LAN Infotech, LLC - Michael Hadley, president and CEO, iCorps Technologies - David Stinner, founder and president, US itek - Ethan Simmons, CEO, PTP We also remember "big-hearted" solution provider CEO Andy Jones. And we take a look at the solution providers recognized on this year's Tech Elite 250 list and more. Fortress Security Risk Management

#CRNChannelMadness Round 2 update ?? In one of the most anticipated matchups, Broadcom’s Tara Fine is out to an early lead against Nutanix’s Christian Goffi in the Innovation region. Last year’s Channel Madness Champion, Tom Evans, who’s competing for Cloudflare this year, is holding off Schneider Electric’s Gordon Lord in the Evolution region. Jennifer Follett details another key matchup to watch, former Channel Madness Champion Veeam Software’s Kevin Rooney vs. tournament rookie SentinelOne’s Brian Lanigan in the Transformation region, along with the full results for this round so far: https://okt.to/CDFn9e. Nutanix Partners #CRNChannelChiefs

Here are the new NVIDIA product launches for Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud announced at NVIDIA GTC 2025 this week that partners and customers should know about: Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program Google Cloud Partners #GTC25

Reminder: We are accepting applications for our 2025 Tech Innovator Awards! ???? We're looking for cutting-edge products and services that deliver exceptional innovation and value for solution providers and their customers. If that sounds like something you offer, then you can learn more and apply here: https://okt.to/FUlMNS. Winners will be published in the August issue of CRN Magazine and online. Application deadline: Friday, April 4, by 11:59 PM PT #CRNInnovators #TechInnovation

Among the exhibitors at this week’s NVIDIA GTC conference in San Jose, Calif., was solution provider World Wide Technology, which just recently closed its $1.25 billion acquisition of software and cloud-focused IT solution provider Softchoice. WWT CEO Jim Kavanaugh told CRN that 99.9 percent of the longtime NVIDIA Partner of the Year’s growth over the last 35 years has been organic and that while WWT continues to see enormous opportunity for organic growth, the company is open to making more acquisitions along the lines of the Softchoice deal. Here’s what else Kavanaugh and Softchoice CEO Andrew Caprara shared with Joseph Kovar: #GTC25

Multiple IBM employees have reported a round of layoffs by the tech giant in the past week, with cuts appearing to target jobs related to SoftLayer, which IBM acquired in 2013, Neudesic, acquired in 2022, and federal government services. Here’s what you need to know:

There's just one week left to apply for our 2025 Inclusive Channel Leaders Awards! Find eligibility details for vendors, solution providers and distributors and apply by next Friday, March 28, at 11:59 PM PDT here: https://okt.to/qtFZv1. These Awards: - Honor those who spotlight inclusivity in their channel leadership roles - Will recognize those who effectively defend and promote the principles of inclusive leadership and demonstrate a passion for fostering diversity and inclusion within their teams, companies and/or the channel at large ?? Winners will be published on CRN.com in July and in the August issue of CRN Magazine. #CRNInclusiveLeaders