IBM has introduced IBM Sovereign Core, a new software offering designed to help enterprises, governments, and service providers build and operate “AI-ready” sovereign environments where customers retain direct operational control, keep identity and encryption controls within jurisdictional boundaries, and generate auditable evidence for ongoing compliance.
The company said the product is aimed at organizations facing tightening regulatory requirements and increasing scrutiny over how sensitive data and AI workloads are accessed, governed, and operated. IBM positioned the launch as a response to what it described as a growing “digital sovereignty” imperative—extending beyond data residency to include who operates the environment, where workloads run, how access is controlled, and under whose jurisdiction AI models execute.
IBM said Sovereign Core is built on Red Hat’s open source foundation and is designed to make sovereignty a built-in property of the software rather than an add-on layer. The company highlighted capabilities such as a customer-operated control plane, in-boundary identity and key management, continuous compliance evidence generation via operational telemetry and audit trails, and governed AI inference that enables local hosting and execution of models and agent operations without exporting data to external providers.
IBM also said customers will be able to deploy Sovereign Core in the environment of their choice, including on-premises data centers, in-region cloud infrastructure, or through IT service providers. The company said it is collaborating with service providers globally, starting with an initial European rollout that includes Cegeka in Belgium and the Netherlands and Computacenter in Germany, positioning those partnerships as a way to deliver local operational independence and compliance management while enabling providers to offer sovereign services for AI-scale workloads.
IBM said IBM Sovereign Core will enter tech preview in February 2026, with general availability planned for mid-year 2026, alongside additional capabilities at GA. The company also referenced third-party research, citing a Gartner prediction that more than 75% of enterprises will have a digital sovereignty strategy by 2030.
KEY QUOTES:
“Businesses are facing growing pressure to innovate while meeting tightening regulatory requirements and recognizing the importance of controlling how sensitive data and AI workloads are accessed and operated. This shift is creating an urgent need for sovereign solutions that deliver AI-ready environments. With IBM Sovereign Core, we are helping clients move faster and with confidence— combining openness, compliance, and operational autonomy to meet the demands of the AI era, without the need to sacrifice sovereignty requirements.”
Priya Srinivasan, General Manager, IBM Software Products
“The sovereign AI conversation has focused on data residency, but that’s only part of the equation. IBM Sovereign Core addresses the harder question: who controls the system and can you prove it to regulators? IBM takes a holistic approach spanning data, operations, technology, and assurance, with continuous monitoring. As AI moves into production, that kind of ongoing accountability becomes non-negotiable.”
Sanjeev Mohan, Principal, SanjMo
“AI is accelerating the pace at which sovereignty questions move from theory to daily operations. As geopolitics, regulation, and data governance increasingly converge, governments and enterprises must move while demonstrating clear control over critical data and infrastructure. The challenge is no longer a trade-off between openness and sovereignty, but governing data, access, and infrastructure amid growing regulatory and geopolitical constraints.”
Erik Fish, Director of Geotechnology, Eurasia Group
“As organizations navigate increasingly complex compliance and regulatory requirements, we’re seeing strong demand for digital platforms and software that allows sensitive data to remain within controlled, compliant boundaries. Partnering with IBM to offer a pre-architected solution through our in-country environment enables us to deliver enterprise-ready software to our clients, while allowing them to address local compliance standards.”
Gaetan Willems, VP Cloud & Digital Platforms, Cegeka
“With IBM Sovereign Core, we can focus on configuring the software to each client’s specific use cases rather than spending months piecing together disparate components and validating sovereignty controls. It can significantly accelerate our time-to-value and let us help clients who previously couldn’t consider AI solutions at all.”
Christian Schreiner, Unit Director Cloud, Computacenter
