Airtel has announced a strategic alliance with IBM to boost its recently launched Airtel Cloud platform. The collaboration aims to combine Airtel’s telecom-grade reliability, data security, and compliance with IBM’s expertise in AI, industry-specific cloud solutions, and cutting-edge infrastructure designed for AI workloads. This partnership is designed to help enterprises, especially those in regulated sectors, scale their AI applications more efficiently and seamlessly, integrating operations across multiple cloud environments, on-premise systems, and edge computing.
The agreement will allow Airtel Cloud customers to access IBM’s Power systems portfolio as-a-Service, including the latest IBM Power11 AI-ready servers, specifically designed for mission-critical applications in industries such as banking, healthcare, and government. These hybrid platforms will also support essential enterprise workloads including IBM Power AIX, IBM i, Linux, and SAP Cloud ERP. Additionally, the collaboration will facilitate SAP customers’ transitions to SAP Cloud ERP on IBM Power Virtual Servers, enhancing business processes and driving digital transformation.
Gopal Vittal, Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Bharti Airtel, shared, “Airtel Cloud is built to be a highly secure, resilient, and agile platform, setting new standards in cloud services. With IBM’s advanced AI and cloud solutions, we are adding key capabilities to support industries that rely on IBM Power Systems and need AI-driven readiness. Furthermore, this partnership will expand our availability zones in India, from four to ten, with two new Multizone Regions (MZRs) coming soon in Mumbai and Chennai.”
Rob Thomas, Senior Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer at IBM, emphasized, “Today’s enterprises need to modernize while meeting growing AI and regulatory demands. Our collaboration with Airtel provides clients across India with innovative cloud solutions tailored to their industry-specific needs, helping them stay ahead in the AI-driven era.”
The partnership will leverage IBM’s AI tools, including the watsonx software stack and Red Hat OpenShift AI, enabling clients in India to run AI inference across hybrid cloud systems. With IBM’s cloud platform, IaaS, PaaS, and automation tools, customers will accelerate their adoption of generative AI to drive productivity in enterprise workflows. Airtel’s Multi Zone Regions will provide enhanced resilience for Indian enterprises, meeting critical data residency requirements while ensuring business continuity and supporting large-scale digital innovation.
This partnership strengthens Airtel’s position as a leader in providing cloud and enterprise services in India and beyond, complementing IBM’s expertise in hybrid cloud and AI. With their combined capabilities, Airtel and IBM are poised to empower businesses in India to embrace digital transformation and AI-driven innovation at scale.
