Bharti Airtel and IBM join forces to strengthen Airtel Cloud

Bharti Airtel announced a strategic partnership with IBM to upgrade its Airtel Cloud platform. The move blends Airtel’s secure, telco-grade cloud infrastructure with IBM’s leadership in hybrid cloud and AI technologies. Together, the two companies aim to help enterprises manage and scale AI workloads efficiently across multiple environments, from on-premise systems to the cloud and the edge.

The collaboration will allow Airtel Cloud customers to deploy IBM Power Systems as-a-Service. This includes the latest IBM Power11 servers, built for AI-readiness and designed for mission-critical workloads. These systems will support key enterprise applications like IBM Power AIX, IBM i, Linux, and SAP Cloud ERP, providing flexibility to customers in highly regulated sectors.

Expanding capacity and compliance

According to Gopal Vittal, Vice Chairman and Managing Director at Bharti Airtel, the partnership significantly expands Airtel Cloud’s reach and capabilities. “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,” Vittal said. He also confirmed plans to expand Airtel’s availability zones in India from four to ten, supported by Airtel’s own sustainable data centres.

The company further announced plans to establish two new Multizone Regions (MZRs) in Mumbai and Chennai, which will enhance data residency and resilience for enterprises. These MZRs will enable Indian businesses to comply with regulatory requirements while maintaining continuous access to mission-critical workloads.

AI, hybrid cloud, and the future of enterprise computing

IBM’s contribution to the partnership includes advanced AI inferencing software built on the IBM WatsonX platform and Red Hat OpenShift AI. Clients in India will be able to run AI inference across hybrid cloud environments, supported by IBM’s enterprise-grade automation tools and IaaS/PaaS offerings.

“Enterprises today need to balance modernisation with the growing regulated technology and AI requirements,” said Rob Thomas, IBM’s Senior Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer. “Through our partnership with Bharti Airtel, clients across India can leverage IBM’s innovative cloud offerings designed for workloads that address their strategic business priorities.”

IBM will also make available Red Hat’s hybrid cloud solutions, including Red Hat OpenShift Virtualisation, Red Hat OpenShift, and Red Hat AI. This integration will allow enterprises to accelerate digital transformation while preparing for future innovations in AI and even quantum computing.

Building India’s AI-ready enterprise landscape

The Airtel–IBM collaboration represents a key step in India’s push toward scalable, compliant, and AI-driven digital infrastructure. With expanded availability zones, enterprise-grade servers, and access to IBM’s AI and automation stack, Airtel Cloud is positioning itself as a strong alternative for enterprises seeking high reliability and compliance within India’s data frameworks.

For Indian companies navigating digital transformation, this partnership could serve as a bridge between traditional IT systems and the AI-powered future.