Digital sovereignty and AI you can trust: IBM's vision on the future of software

AI is redefining how enterprises operate—and where their data, models, and workloads can live. This IBM Technology Summit session explored how organizations are navigating the growing demands of digital sovereignty and what it takes to deploy AI securely, compliantly, and at scale without slowing innovation.

In this episode of the IBM Technology Summit, Rob Thomas, IBM SVP Software and Chief Commercial Officer, joined Bruno Aziza, Vice President of Marketing, IBM Software, along with Priya Srinivasan, General Manager, IBM Software Products (Core & ALM), Will Streit, Vice President, IBM Software – Security, Sterling, and ELM, and Shikha Srivastava, Distinguished Engineer and Master Inventor, IBM SWG MultiCloud SaaS Platform, to examine how AI is accelerating the need for digital sovereignty—and how enterprises can respond.

Rob outlined his vision for IBM Software in 2026 and beyond, and Priya explained why digital sovereignty has become a strategic imperative for organizations operating across regulated and multi-cloud environments. Together, they unpacked why this moment represents a fundamental shift in how enterprises think about control, compliance, and innovation.

The session concluded with an exclusive preview of IBM Sovereign Core, IBM’s AI-ready sovereign foundation. Will and Shikha walked through how IBM Sovereign Core is built on an open-source foundation, delivers continuous compliance and transforms AI-ready sovereign environment deployment from months to days—giving enterprises end-to-end control without sacrificing speed.