Inside IBM’s Vision for India: AI, Hybrid Cloud, and Building a Future-Ready Workforce

Think Mumbai was electric. India’s AI build-out just moved into a higher gear.

I sat down with Sandip Patel, Managing Director, IBM India & South Asia at IBM’s Mumbai office. We unpack what Think Mumbai means for teams building with AI, hybrid cloud, and data at scale.

What stood out and why it matters:

IBM and airtel partnership

• Aim: give regulated industries a safe and fast path to run AI at scale

• How: combine Airtel’s cloud footprint and network with IBM’s hybrid cloud and watsonx stack

• Why it helps: data stays controlled and compliant while workloads flex across on-prem, cloud, and edge

• Impact areas: banking, insurance, public sector, large enterprises with strict governance

First cricket activation on watsonx

• What: AI-driven insights powering a live cricket experience

• Why it matters: shows real-time analytics, content, and decisioning are ready for prime time

• Enterprise takeaway: the same pattern applies to contact centers, fraud, supply chains, and field ops where seconds count

AI value for Indian enterprises today

• Start with governed data and clear ownership

• Use hybrid patterns so models run where the work and data live

• Blend predictive models with generative workflows inside watsonx for measurable lift

• Track outcomes in productivity, risk reduction, customer experience, and time to value

Skills as the force multiplier

• Priority skills: data governance, MLOps, orchestration, security on hybrid cloud

• Team model: small core teams operating a shared platform, federated use cases across business units

• Result: faster move from pilots to production with repeatable guardrails

My take

India is moving from talk to build. The blueprint is open, hybrid, and governed. Partnerships that keep control local while staying flexible will unlock scale. Sports gave us a sharp demo of real-time AI. The next wins will be in operations, customer journeys, and risk.

The interview is live now. Link to the complete interview in the comments!

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