Despite nearly twenty years of cloud adoption, a new global study from NTT DATA finds that just 14% of enterprises have achieved the highest level of cloud maturity even as artificial intelligence becomes increasingly dependent on scalable, cloud‑ready infrastructure.
The report, Cloud‑led innovation in the era of AI: The new rules for driving value with cloud, surveyed more than 2,300 senior leaders across 33 countries. It highlights a widening gap between AI ambitions and cloud readiness. An overwhelming 99% of respondents say that AI is driving higher demand for cloud investment, yet 88% warn that current spending levels are falling short, putting modernization and AI initiatives at risk.
Although cloud is widely viewed as a catalyst for innovation, fewer than half of organizations are satisfied with progress to date particularly around legacy application modernization, which many cited as the single biggest constraint to AI‑driven transformation.
“AI is accelerating faster than enterprise cloud maturity.” — Charlie Li, President, Global Head of Cloud and Security, NTT DATA
Charlie Li, President and Global Head of Cloud and Security at NTT DATA, says enterprises must rethink their cloud approach if they want AI to deliver meaningful results. “Cloud has moved well beyond infrastructure and is now the execution layer for AI. Organizations that fail to evolve their cloud foundations risk constraining the growth and value of their AI investments,” he said. “Our clients who are succeeding are treating cloud as a value creator, not a technology initiative.”
The study identifies six imperatives for organizations aiming to unlock cloud value in the age of AI: aligning cloud and AI strategies, making smarter architectural choices, modernizing legacy systems, adopting fully managed platforms, redefining cloud KPIs around business outcomes, and doubling down on fundamental security practices.
Security remains the top cloud investment priority, but confidence varies sharply 68% of cloud‑evolved leaders express high confidence in their security posture, compared with just 36% of others. The report notes that as technology ecosystems grow more complex, organizations must reinforce basic security governance, audits, and role clarity.
With sovereign cloud adoption projected to rise by 50% in two years and AI reshaping digital operating models, NTT DATA emphasizes that strategic cloud evolution not just cloud adoption will determine which organizations achieve meaningful, scalable AI value.
