Bharti Airtel (“Airtel”), one of India’s leading telecommunications and digital services providers, has announced a strategic partnership with IBM to strengthen and expand the capabilities of its recently launched Airtel Cloud platform.
Through this collaboration, IBM’s cloud solutions, infrastructure, and AI inferencing software will be made available via Airtel Cloud, enabling enterprises across India to accelerate digital transformation and AI adoption. Airtel also plans to expand its cloud footprint with six additional availability zones, increasing the total to ten locations across India.
Launched in August 2025, Airtel Cloud offers Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) and Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) through next-generation sustainable data centers. The platform supports deployment of the IBM Power systems portfolio as-a-Service, including the newly introduced IBM Power11 servers designed for AI and enterprise workloads such as IBM Power AIX, IBM i, Linux, and SAP Cloud ERP.
The enhanced Airtel Cloud will cater to regulated industries such as banking, healthcare, and government, offering secure, compliant, and industry-grade cloud environments.
Gopal Vittal, Vice Chairman & Managing Director, Bharti Airtel, said: “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 centers. We will, together, also establish two new Multizone Regions (MZRs) in Mumbai and Chennai soon.”
Rob Thomas, Senior Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer, IBM, said: “Enterprises today need to balance modernization 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 address their strategic business priorities. Together, we will help clients drive true transformation in the era of AI.”
IBM’s Power11 range, introduced in July 2025, includes servers and chips purpose-built for AI, hybrid cloud, and automation applications.
Airtel Cloud, operated by Xtelify (a Bharti Airtel subsidiary), represents a key milestone in Airtel’s cloud and AI strategy. Earlier in January 2025, Airtel Business – another Bharti Airtel subsidiary – announced the development of a sovereign AI cloud with Google, designed specifically for government organisations.
In recent developments, Nxtra by Airtel Africa has broken ground on a new 44 MW hyperscale data center at Tatu City, Kenya – billed to be the largest in East Africa – with commissioning expected in early 2027. In parallel, a partnership with Vertiv will support Nxtra’s rollout in Nigeria with a 42 MW facility and a pan-Africa network of high-capacity, energy-efficient data centers.
These moves complement Airtel’s ongoing investments in fiber, edge infrastructure, and cloud services and position Airtel as a pivotal player in advancing Africa’s digital-infrastructure resilience, enabling secure cloud adoption, AI innovation, and localized data hosting at scale.
Ready to dive deeper into the hyperscale revolution impacting Africa?
READ MORE HERE: www.africa.hyperscalers.news
Contact Us:
Email: projects@hyperscalers.newsPhone: +2348109003350
Follow us on Social Media: Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, x
