TD Synnex CEO Patrick Zammit said the distributor is entering a new phase of growth as AI reshapes the technology landscape. The channel must move quickly to capitalize on the opportunities ahead, he said.
“Enterprise AI is starting to accelerate,” Zammit told Channel Dive. “It’s still a very low percent of revenue, but companies are starting to go. They passed the proof of concept and proof of value, because in AI it’s not only about functionality. It’s also: 'Will I get a return on investment?'”
He said the emergence of agentic AI represents a “breakthrough” for the industry. “You can develop very rapidly very interesting use cases – automating workflows, automating some tasks, you name it – thanks to agentic AI. Where, probably for companies, LLMs were a little bit abstract, agentic AI makes it very, very concrete.”
Zammit said AI is now at the heart of TD Synnex’s partner enablement programs. The distributor has launched three programs to date: AI Factory, Agentic AI and Secured AI. They fall under the ‘Destination AI’ umbrella, which focuses on integrating AI across the technology ecosystem.
The CEO said the initiatives reflect the conversations happening with vendors and partners who are seeking clarity on where to play in the AI value chain.“Many partners are still looking at how to make it a revenue stream. Do they only want to focus on the infrastructure, or do they also want to get proficient on managing the data layer – basically, the whole AI stack and agentic stack?”
The AI factory, for example, provides partners with a standardized way to build and deliver AI solutions from concept to deployment.
“We’re about to finish securing it, and we are going to empower our co-workers to create their agents and use the agents developed by their colleagues. We want to be an AI-enabled company,” said Zammit.
Vendor consolidation and specialization
Beyond AI, Zammit noted a clear trend of vendor consolidation and go-to-market rationalization.
“We see our vendors redefining who they want to serve directly: who they want to serve through a tier-one model, who they want to serve through a tier-two model,” he said. “There’s a consolidation phenomenon – but in parallel, more and more vendors, as technology gets more complex, expect partners to specialize even more and build expertise for the technology and the verticals they are going to address.”
Zammit said TD Synnex views the channel market "as a collection of specialists.” “Every technology requires a customized value proposition and a customized go-to-market. That’s how we are set up – by technology and by vendor – and that’s giving us a strong advantage in the market.”
Adapting to change
Looking ahead, Zammit said the most significant challenge and opportunity lies in change management.
“This industry continues to transform,” he said. “AI is creating a new transformation, but we are agile. We recognize the market changes, and we are making the investments necessary – in technology, in change management, and in our people – to stay relevant.”
Meanwhile, he said the goal is to drive AI adoption across the entire business. “We don’t want to use AI to do cost savings,” he said. “We want to use AI to augment the capabilities of the company and improve the customer experience. AI should help us increase productivity and grow faster than our cost structure.”
Zammit also reaffirmed TD Synnex’s investment in its omnichannel model, which combines digital platforms with human expertise.
“AI is one aspect of digitalization,” he said. “We continue to invest to strengthen our digital platforms, but equally, in our co-workers, who remain central to everything we do. The combination of technology and people is what makes the difference – for us, and for our partners.”
