AI is moving from isolated pilots to enterprise-wide initiatives, but infrastructure strategies often lag. Many organizations face compute constraints, fragmented tooling, and unclear deployment or sourcing approaches. As AI workloads grow in scale and complexity, the need for purpose-built, scalable infrastructure aligned with business goals becomes essential. This report introduces AIMPACT, Everest Group’s framework for structured AI infrastructure planning. It offers a clear lens on how enterprises can profile AI workloads, assess readiness, and make informed decisions on deployment models, sourcing strategies, and stack design. The report also explores the broader shifts influencing how infrastructure is designed, operationalized, and governed in an AI-first world. This report provides a practical roadmap to move from fragmented pilots to scalable execution. CIOs, infrastructure leaders, AI teams, and service partners can use this report to bring structure to decision-making, align technology investments with business goals, and build infrastructure strategies that are grounded, adaptive, and future-ready.

The rapid rise of generative AI has led to a global infrastructure transformation, accelerating demand for high-performance computing and next-generation data centers. As enterprises and governments invest in sovereign compute capabilities, India is emerging as a key player due to its expanding digital economy, progressive policy environment, and growing hyperscaler activity. This report explores how India’s data center ecosystem is evolving, from concentrated tier-1 city hubs to a more distributed, regionally balanced model aligned with AI demands. However, not all regions are equally equipped to support dense, latency-sensitive AI workloads. Power availability, network infrastructure, land access, and environmental resilience vary widely across cities. To evaluate these differences, Everest Group introduces the CALIBER-DC framework, a comprehensive model that assesses regional data center readiness across key dimensions. This Viewpoint offers strategic insights for infrastructure developers, policymakers, and enterprises seeking to scale AI infrastructure in India.

The public cloud market is significantly growing due to enterprises’ pursuit of digital transformation, innovation, and operational resilience. Microsoft Azure has effectively addressed this demand through strategic investments in generative AI (in collaboration with OpenAI), industry-tailored cloud offerings, Microsoft Fabric for data, and robust security capabilities. As Azure’s portfolio expands, enterprises are turning to specialized Azure service providers to lead cloud migration efforts and drive ongoing optimization. These partners bring key expertise in cost efficiency, resource management, and cloud-native development, enabling organizations to maximize their Azure investments’ value. In response to evolving enterprise needs, Azure service providers are enhancing their go-to-market approaches, earning certifications and specializations, and building proprietary Azure-aligned IP. Their close collaboration with Microsoft allows them to deliver industry-specific, high-impact solutions that strengthen operations and unlock new growth opportunities. In this report, we assess 29 cloud service providers featured in the Microsoft Azure Services PEAK Matrix® Assessment 2024 and categorize them as Leaders, Major Contenders, and Aspirants based on their capabilities and offerings. Each profile offers a comprehensive picture of the provider’s operational overview, delivery presence, solutions on offer, investments, and market success.

In May 2025, Google Cloud expanded its sovereign cloud offerings to address increasing demands for data sovereignty and operational autonomy. It launched Google Cloud Air-Gapped, a fully isolated environment designed for sectors with stringent data security requirements, such as defense and intelligence. This solution operates without external network connectivity and is authorized to handle US government Top Secret data. Google Cloud Dedicated, developed in partnership with Thales, a French leader in cybersecurity, offers region-specific services operated by local partners to meet national compliance standards, such as France’s SecNumCloud. The Google Cloud Data Boundary service expansion now offers customers granular control over data residency and access, complemented by the User Data Shield, which incorporates Mandiant’s security assessments to validate application security postures. While these initiatives demonstrate Google Cloud’s commitment to offering flexible, secure, and compliant cloud solutions, challenges remain. These challenges include the limited geographic availability of certain services and complexities in integrating sovereign solutions with existing multi-cloud architectures. Enterprises must carefully assess these factors when considering Google Cloud’s offerings for their sovereignty objectives.

Enterprises have made cloud the operating backbone for AI, platform modernization, and continuous delivery, but governance practices remain reactive. Fragmented ownership, inconsistent tagging, and siloed tooling force finance and engineering teams to chase overspend long after budgets are breached, with 63% of organizations citing staying within forecasted cloud budgets as their top challenge. Systems of Execution (SoE) close this gap by fusing FinOps transparency with AIOps automation in an autonomous control plane. SoE continuously ingest cost, usage, and performance telemetry, apply AI decision logic, and enforce policy-aligned actions, such as resizing or pausing workloads, without human latency. By adopting SoE, organizations can transform cloud from a cost center into a self-optimizing performance engine that enforces budgets in real time, reduces variance, boosts resilience, and accelerates innovation cycles. The report charts a three-phase journey from reactive visibility to fully autonomous operations, detailing the data architecture, policy automation, AI decisioning, and governance pillars required at each step. It benchmarks ecosystem readiness, highlights emerging provider capabilities, and distils imperatives for enterprises, hyperscalers, and service partners, which include treating execution as a differentiator, embedding financial guardrails at run time, and redesigning services around continuous orchestration. Scope This report analyzes the cloud-governance gap, presents an SoE-led framework for autonomous financial and operational control, details a phased implementation roadmap, and offers guidance on selecting technology and service partners to enable self-optimizing cloud operations at scale. Contents All industries and geographies

Watch Everest Group experts Yugal Joshi, Partner, Alisha Mittal, Vice President, Mukesh Ranjan, Vice President, and Akshat Vaid, Partner, for an exciting webinar that will redefine how you view the future of the engineering and IT technology space. Get ready for a deep dive into the transformative trends due to shape engineering and IT services in 2025. From the unstoppable rise of AI to breakthrough innovations on the horizon, our panel will deliver powerful insights into what’s next for the industry and how you can take advantage of this pivotal moment. Expect engaging discussions, bold predictions, and data-driven insights designed to empower enterprises and service providers to navigate this key era. This is your chance to learn how to leverage technology trends, outpace the competition, and thrive in a rapidly evolving landscape. Don’t miss this high-impact session—your roadmap to 2025 starts here. What questions did the webinar answer? As a services provider, which areas should you invest in during 2025 for strategic growth? As an enterprise, what should you look for in outsourcing partners in 2025?

As AI becomes a key business innovation and competitive advantage driver, enterprises must rethink how their IT stack supports AI adoption. Many organizations currently implement AI as a bolt-on solution rather than integrating it into their IT stack’s core. However, this approach limits long-term differentiation and business impact. To unlock AI’s full potential, enterprises must transform their entire IT operating model, ensuring that AI is seamlessly embedded across infrastructure, middleware, databases, applications, and data layers. This report explores the IT stack’s evolution in an AI-powered world, highlighting key enablers such as AI-driven infrastructure, advanced data engineering, and application modernization. It also examines system integrators’ essential role in helping enterprises navigate this transition. Beyond the technical aspects, the report touches upon broader IT operating model changes, including strategy and solution elements. By providing a comprehensive view of what it takes to build an AI-ready enterprise, this report serves as a strategic guide for IT leaders, decision-makers, and business executives. It offers actionable insights into modernizing the IT stack, leveraging system integrators, and preparing for the fundamental shifts required to sustain AI-driven innovation. Enterprises can use this knowledge to develop a robust AI adoption strategy, ensuring long-term business value and competitive resilience in an AI-first future. Scope All industries and geographies Contents In this report, we explore: IT stack’s future in an AI-powered world AI enablement through infrastructure, applications, and data engineering System integrators’ role in making an enterprise IT stack AI-ready IT operating model’s other elements that will need changes Memberships Cloud and Infrastructure Services Application Services Sourcing and Vendor Management

Europe has established itself as a stable and resilient market for cloud services with robust growth. This growth is due to strong demand from public services, energy and utilities, and manufacturing sectors, alongside sustained contributions from BFSI and technology-related industries. The demand outlook remains positive despite macroeconomic pressures and geopolitical tensions affecting large contracts due to enterprise needs for complex workload migration, cloud-native development, and automation. European enterprises are increasingly adopting hybrid and multi-cloud strategies to address stringent regulatory requirements in BFSI, healthcare, and logistics while balancing performance and scalability. Moreover, with a growing focus on sustainability, businesses emphasize energy-efficient infrastructure and tools to meet EU climate objectives. Security and compliance demand is rising, with GDPR and the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) regulations shaping cloud adoption. Enterprises also seek strategic partnerships with providers offering robust cost management, innovation, and compliance solutions to maximize value from cloud engagements and gain a competitive edge. Europe is also witnessing accelerated generative AI adoption amid fragmentation and governance challenges. In the future, Europe’s cloud landscape will prioritize sustainable, secure, and sovereign solutions tailored to its unique regulatory and operational requirements. In this report, we offer an overview of the European cloud services market, including trends, demand drivers, and key enterprise concerns. The report also outlines cloud services engagement characteristics in Europe and examines the market outlook for 2025. Scope All industries Geography: Europe This analysis is based on Everest Group’s annual RFI process for the calendar year 2024, interactions with leading cloud service providers, client reference checks, enterprise interactions, and an ongoing analysis of the cloud services market in Europe Contents In this report, we examine: Trends, demand drivers, and key enterprise concerns in the Europe cloud services market Enterprises’ top demands on cloud services and enterprise strategies to maximize their Google Cloud adoption value realization The future outlook for 2025 Membership(s) Cloud and Infrastructure Services Sourcing and Vendor Management

Cloud solutions are propelling businesses to expand, boost adaptability, and accelerate innovation through readily available resources and infrastructure, eliminating substantial initial investments. North America leads globally in cloud services with a market driven by rapid technology advances and broad industry adoption in sectors such as healthcare, manufacturing, and finance. The increasing demand for edge computing and AI-enhanced services is opening fresh avenues in cloud technology. Companies are seeking tailored customer experiences, compliance-focused infrastructure, increased agility, and services catering to local needs. The surge in demand for these technologies reflects a broader shift toward more dynamic, responsive business operations. To adapt, industries are increasingly leveraging cloud services to meet complex challenges in real time, using cloud-based analytics and machine learning capabilities. This trend underscores the necessity for robust, secure, and compliant cloud solutions in today's digital landscape. In this report, we provide an overview of the North American cloud services market, including trends, demand drivers, and key enterprise concerns. The report also outlines the characteristics of cloud services engagement in North America and delves into the market outlook for 2025. Scope All industries Geography: North America The analysis is based on Everest Group’s annual RFI process, interactions with leading cloud service providers, client reference checks, enterprise interactions, and an ongoing analysis of the cloud services market in North America Contents In this report, we examine: The trends, demand drivers, and key enterprise concerns in the North American cloud services market Enterprises’ top cloud services barriers and demand trends The future outlook for 2025 Membership(s) Cloud and Infrastructure Services Sourcing and Vendor Management

As AWS evolves, there is a growing demand for AWS providers that can ensure smooth cloud migrations. These providers are essential to transform and manage AWS environments, focusing on managing costs, providing skilled resources, and leveraging cutting-edge technologies to create business value. Their strong partnerships with AWS also allow for customized solutions that cater to specific industry requirements, improve operational efficiency, and foster innovation. AWS providers are intensifying their joint go-to-market strategies, enhancing their accreditations and competencies, and developing proprietary AWS-focused innovations and solutions. This strategic advance continues to solidify their strong position in the market. In this report, we assess 31 AWS providers featured in the AWS Services PEAK Matrix® Assessment 2024 and categorize them as Leaders, Major Contenders, and Aspirants based on their capabilities and offerings. Scope All industries and geographies The assessment is based on Everest Group’s annual RFI process for the calendar year 2024, interactions with leading AWS providers, client reference checks, and ongoing analysis of the cloud services market Contents In this report, we examine: The market impact and vision and capabilities of 31 providers with AWS expertise Providers’ key strengths and limitations Enterprise sourcing considerations Membership(s) Cloud and Infrastructure Services Sourcing and Vendor Management