IBM Launches New Software to Tackle Digital Sovereignty Needs

IBM has launched the industry’s first AI-ready, sovereign-enabled software designed to help enterprises, governments, and service providers build, deploy, and manage secure sovereign environments. The new software addresses the growing need for organisations to maintain greater control over their technology infrastructure as regulatory requirements evolve and governance standards become increasingly stringent. With AI workloads increasing concerns around data control and compliance, the solution enables organisations to operate self-managed environments with full operational authority and auditable governance.

Digital sovereignty focuses on who controls and operates technology systems, how data is accessed and governed, where workloads are run, and under which jurisdiction AI models operate. Reflecting its growing importance, Gartner predicts that more than 75% of enterprises worldwide will adopt a digital sovereignty strategy by 2030, with many relying on sovereign cloud approaches. 

Commenting on the launch, Sandip Patel, Managing Director, IBM India & South Asia, said, “As AI adoption accelerates in India, businesses must continue to innovate while complying with increasingly strict regulations and maintaining control over sensitive data and AI workloads.”

IBM Sovereign Core is designed to help customers achieve verifiable digital sovereignty and full operational control over their technology environments. The software enables organisations to build, deploy, and manage cloud-native and AI workloads under their own authority and within selected jurisdictions, using Red Hat’s open-source foundation. Unlike traditional solutions that add sovereignty controls on top of existing systems, Sovereign Core embeds sovereignty directly into the software by design.

IBM is working with IT service providers globally, starting an initial rollout in Europe in partnership with Cegeka in Belgium and the Netherlands, and Computacenter in Germany. These collaborations support local operational control and regulatory compliance.

“Partnering with IBM allows us to offer a pre-architected solution through our in-country environment, enabling us to deliver enterprise-ready software to customers while ensuring compliance with local regulatory requirements,” said Gaetan Willems, Vice President, Cloud & Digital Platforms, Cegeka.

IBM Sovereign Core will be available in a technology preview starting in February, with full general availability planned for mid-2026. Additional capabilities are expected to be introduced at the time of general availability.