India stands at a critical inflection point in its growth trajectory – where digital ambition means grassroots development and innovation finds its soul in inclusivity. The ongoing “techade” is the most defining decade of our nation. The vision of Viksit Bharat- a developed, self-reliant, inclusive, and resilient nation by 2047 is taking shape.
IBM’s Think Mumbai 2025 was a force multiplier in that spirit. At IBM Think Mumbai 2025, this convergence of purpose and progress came alive as conversations moved beyond technology adoption to intelligent integration. The discussion revolved around AI made responsible, data made actionable, and digital made humane.
It was a forum where leaders, innovators, changemakers, and the sharpest minds in the technology industry converged to map the enterprise journey to the adoption of the technology trinity of AI, hybrid cloud, and Quantum Computing.The conference aimed to provide actionable strategies that technology and business leaders can adopt and implement to turn their AI ambitions into an AI advantage and to deepen their understanding of the underlying factors that increase their chances of success.
Sandip Patel, MD, India and South Asia, IBM kicked off the event with a keynote address by underlining the fact that this is the naya daur of digital Bharat, a giant step towards becoming a Viksit Bharat where technology will be a growth accelerator that will help India leapfrog into a digitally-empowered, resilient and globally competitive economy.
“The technology trinity of AI, hybrid cloud, and Quantum computing will enable enterprises to turn data into action, scale growth and tackle some of the toughest challenges in today’s business environment,” he stated.Around 99% of enterprise data remains untapped today. The scope of unleashing unprecedented value through data is multiplied when coupled with agentic AI. It can drive not only productivity, but also shape the business models of the future. It can change industry paradigms in a fundamentally different way. Quantum Computing can solve for complex risk modeling, drug discovery, automated vehicles, and accelerated product development.
As AI adoption scales, IDC estimates that one billion new applications will be created by 2028. This will bring an enormous growth opportunity. However, it will introduce complexities, risks, and challenges in managing cloud costs. So enterprises will need a robust cloud foundation.
“Today, it’s not just about speed, scale, openness and relevance, but also about being mindful of where your data resides, given the geopolitical uncertainties and evolving regulations in every jurisdiction,” he stated.
Data residency will be a critical driver of business value. Enterprises will have to ensure that data and the control plane remain within national borders. This “naya daur” will be governed by five key pillars- hybrid by design, open by nature, compliance with the laws of the land, built for resilience and cost optimization.
A Strategic Partnership
IBM has taken a bold step forward to empower Indian enterprises as they adopt hybrid cloud and AI at scale, while also addressing the nation’s data, residency, and evolving governance regulations.
“Future innovation will be driven, not in isolation, but through true collaboration- with business partners, and clients,” Patel declared. In sync with this philosophy, IBM entered into a strategic partnership with Bharti Airtel, the second-largest domestic telco, to augment the recently launched Airtel Cloud.
The partnership is expected to bring together telco-grade reliability, high security, and data residency of Airtel Cloud with IBM’s leadership in cloud solutions, and advanced infrastructure and software technologies designed for AI inferencing.
The companies will set up two multi-cloud regions in Mumbai and Chennai and expand availability zones from four to ten, Patel said. These sites will also serve as landing zones for IBM’s SAAS portfolio.
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.
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.
“We see partnerships, like these, emerging all across Asia. We have partnered with a telecom player in Indonesia. We’re having similar discussions in Malaysia, Taiwan, and in other places across APAC. Customers need enterprise-grade AI and want to be in control of their data,” shared Hans Dekkers, General Manager, IBM Asia Pacific.
IBM AI Sports Club
The era of AI experimentation is over, and competitive advantage is now being realized from purpose-built AI integration that drives real outcomes. And just like business, sports are also data and analytics-driven for the pursuit of excellence.
IBM has been at the forefront of this transformation through its partnerships with leading sports organizations like the US Open, Wimbledon, the Masters, Formula One, and many more.
Cricket is nothing short of religion in India, and AI can be used for a surprisingly broad set of possibilities to improve the performance of cricketers.
At IBM’s Think Mumbai 2025, IBM unveiled the world’s first-ever AI-powered cricket experience with Watsonx, its enterprise-ready AI and data platform.
This digital sports engagement platform highlights the convergence of sports, data, and AI to analyze player fitness, mental conditioning, form, match context, and environmental factors to deliver actionable, natural-language insights that empower coaches to make faster, data-driven, smart decisions – reducing uncertainty and improving the performance management, player workflow management, and mental resilience. This can be further aligned to the fitness program and nutrition for the individual cricketers.
At IBM’s Think Mumbai 2025, IBM demonstrated the live experience that goes beyond simulation and displayed how AI is already transforming professional cricket, helping decode the game strategy, enhance performance, and reimagine the fan experience. It demonstrated how AI can transform professional cricket by analyzing numerous data points in real-time, like swing speed, force, angle, etc.
This cricket experience is not just a proof of concept. In fact, one of India’s leading state cricket associations has partnered with IBM and are seeing dramatic outcomes.
IBM Research
At IBM Think Mumbai 2025, IBM showcased the golden chandelier of its most powerful quantum computer, IBM Quantum System Two.
There are use cases across agriculture, green energy, finance, materials development, chemistry, drug discovery, logistics, securities and governance.
In 2026, the Amaravati Quantum Computing Centre will host IBM’s 133-qubit quantum computer with free computing hours for academics and government institutions. The “Quantum Valley” (AQV) in Amaravati, is aiming to develop a global hub for knowledge, innovation, and technology in quantum computing and related deep technologies.
As the curtains fell on IBM Think Mumbai 2025, it became quite evident that AI is not just about artificial intelligence but augmented intention to weave productivity, precision and purpose into the fabric of Indian enterprises to create a Viksit Bharat.
IBM Think Mumbai 2025 was more than just a showcase of technology. It was a mirror of the aspirations of Viksit Bharat, riding the wave of hybrid cloud, AI, and Quantum Computing.
(With inputs from Sneha Jha)
