Airtel and IBM Join Forces to Enhance Cloud Capabilities for AI and Regulated Industries

Airtel Partners with IBM to Expand Airtel Cloud with AI Servers | AIM

Airtel Cloud will leverage IBM's Power systems and AI-ready servers to support critical applications in sectors such as banking and healthcare. Airtel has formed a strategic alliance with IBM to enhance its newly launched Airtel Cloud. This collaboration is anticipated to combine Airtel Cloud's telecom-grade dependability, high security, and data residency with IBM's expertise in cloud solutions, cutting-edge infrastructure, and software technologies tailored for AI inferencing. As stated by the telecom provider, Airtel and IBM will focus on empowering enterprises within regulated sectors to scale their AI workloads more effectively, ensuring interoperability across various infrastructures, including on-premise, in the cloud, across different clouds, and at the edge. Airtel Cloud users will benefit from IBM's Power systems as-a-Service, featuring IBM Power11 AI-ready servers for critical applications in sectors like banking and healthcare, Airtel said. The hybrid platform supports enterprise workloads, including IBM AIX, IBM i, Linux, and SAP Cloud ERP. This partnership also aids SAP customers in transitioning to SAP Cloud ERP on IBM Power Virtual Server. Gopal Vittal, vice chairman and managing director of Airtel, said, "With the IBM partnership, we are adding substantial capabilities to our Cloud platform to address the unique needs of several industries that require migration from IBM Power Systems and allow for AI readiness." "With this partnership, we are also extending the footprint of our availability zones in India from four to ten, hosting these on our own next-gen sustainable data centres. We will, together, also establish two new Multizone Regions (MZRs) in Mumbai and Chennai soon," he added. MZRs provide cloud infrastructure across various physical locations to ensure data and operations remain secure during regional failures. This will help Indian businesses meet data residency requirements and keep critical applications running at all times, the companies stated. IBM's AI inference software, based on IBM watsonx and Red Hat OpenShift AI, allows clients in India to perform AI inference in hybrid cloud environments. It includes advanced IaaS and PaaS solutions, along with automation tools for generative AI. Clients can also access Red Hat's hybrid solutions, while IBM's architecture supports future AI and quantum computing innovations.

Bharti Airtel Partners with IBM to Strengthen Airtel Cloud Capabilities for AI and Regulated Industries

Airtel to expand its availability zones in India from four to ten, adding two new Multizone Regions (MZRs) in Mumbai and Chennai. Indian telecommunications service provider Bharti Airtel has announced a strategic partnership with IBM to enhance its recently launched Airtel Cloud platform. The collaboration aims to combine Airtel's secure, compliant, and scalable cloud infrastructure with IBM's advanced hybrid cloud and AI technologies, enabling enterprises across regulated sectors to modernise and manage AI workloads more efficiently. Also Read: Airtel's Xtelify Launches Sovereign Cloud and AI-Powered Global Telecom Software Platform "The partnership is expected to bring together the telco-grade reliability, high security, and data residency of Airtel Cloud with IBM's leadership in industry-specific cloud solutions, and advanced infrastructure and software technologies designed for AI inferencing," Airtel said in an exchange filing on Wednesday, October 15, 2025. Under the partnership, Airtel Cloud customers will be able to deploy the IBM Power Systems portfolio as-a-Service, including the latest-generation IBM Power11 autonomous, AI-ready servers for mission-critical applications in regulated industries such as banking, healthcare, government, and others. The Power11 hybrid platform will also support critical enterprise workloads, including IBM Power AIX, IBM i, Linux and SAP Cloud ERP. Additionally, the partnership will help enable SAP customers using IBM Power to advance their enterprise resource planning transformations to SAP Cloud ERP on IBM Power Virtual Server. Also Read: Airtel Business to Launch New Comprehensive Cloud Solution Amid Strategic Overhaul Gopal Vittal, Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Bharti Airtel, said the collaboration significantly strengthens Airtel Cloud's capabilities to meet the evolving digital needs of industries that demand high compliance and security standards. "Airtel Cloud is designed to be highly secure and compliant, setting new industry benchmarks as an agile and resilient cloud platform. Today, with the IBM partnership, we are adding substantial capabilities to our Cloud platform to address the unique needs of several industries that require migration from IBM Power Systems and allow for AI readiness. With this partnership, we are also extending the footprint of our availability zones in India from four to ten, hosting these on our own next-gen sustainable data centres. We will, together, also establish two new Multizone Regions (MZRs) in Mumbai and Chennai soon," Vittal said. Rob Thomas, Senior Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer of IBM, noted that the partnership will help Indian enterprises balance modernisation with increasing regulatory and AI requirements. "Enterprises today need to balance modernisation with the growing regulated technology and AI requirements. Through our partnership with Bharti Airtel, clients across India can leverage IBM's innovative cloud offerings designed for workloads that will help them address industry-specific requirements address their strategic business priorities. Together, we will help clients drive true transformation in the era of AI," he said. With IBM's software stack for AI inferencing, built on IBM watsonx and Red Hat OpenShift AI, clients in India will have the ability to run AI inference across hybrid cloud environments. Customers will be able to access Red Hat's suite of hybrid cloud solutions such as OpenShift Virtualisation and OpenShift AI, supporting interoperability across on-premise, cloud, and edge infrastructures. "These capabilities are coupled with IBM's enterprise-grade cloud platform with innovative IaaS and PaaS offerings, as well as IBM's automation portfolio designed for accelerating the impact of generative AI in core enterprise workflows to drive productivity. Customers will be able to access Red Hat's hybrid cloud solutions, including Red Hat OpenShift Virtualisation, Red Hat OpenShift and Red Hat AI. Beyond these capabilities, IBM's hybrid cloud architecture is designed to help clients enable future innovation in AI and quantum computing," Airtel and IBM said in a joint statement. Also Read: Adani, Airtel Partner with Google to Set Up India's First AI Hub in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh By establishing Airtel Multi Zone Regions, the partnership will enable Indian enterprises to strengthen operational resilience, meet data residency requirements, and maintain high availability for mission-critical applications. "Together, Airtel and IBM will aim to enable enterprises in regulated industries to scale AI workloads more efficiently, delivering interoperability across infrastructure, including on-premise, in the cloud, across multiple clouds and at the edge," the official release said.

Bharti Airtel Partners with IBM to Enhance Airtel Cloud for AI-Ready Enterprise Workloads

Together, Airtel and IBM will aim to enable enterprises in regulated industries to scale AI workloads more efficiently, delivering interoperability across infrastructure including on-premise, in the cloud, across multiple clouds and at the edge. Through this partnership, Airtel Cloud customers will be able to deploy the IBM Power systems portfolio as-a-Service, including the latest-generation IBM Power11 autonomous, AI-ready servers for mission-critical applications in regulated industries like banking, healthcare, government and others. The Power11 hybrid platform will also support critical enterprise workloads including IBM Power AIX, IBM i, Linux and SAP Cloud ERP. Additionally, this partnership will help enable SAP customers on IBM Power with their enterprise resource planning transformation to SAP Cloud ERP on IBM Power Virtual Server.