Firms lag in sovereign AI adoption, NTT DATA says

APAC firms cite cloud security gaps and data rules as barriers.

More than 97% of respondents in Singapore recognise the importance of private and sovereign artificial intelligence (AI), but only 21% are prioritising the technology in a concrete, near-term way, according to a study by information technology (IT) firm NTT DATA.

The 2026 Global AI Report surveyed nearly 5,000 senior decision-makers across more than 30 markets, including 125 respondents from Singapore. It found that 52% of Singapore organisations report high confidence in their cloud security posture.

Across Asia Pacific, 94% of respondents said private and sovereign AI is important to their strategy, whilst only 30% are prioritising it in a concrete, near-term way. The study also showed that 66% cited cross-border data restrictions as a key challenge to AI adoption.

Only 40% of organisations in the region reported high confidence in cloud security, whilst 30% of CIOs and CTOs identified the complexity of building and managing AI models in controlled environments as a key barrier.

The report defined private AI as systems designed to protect enterprise data and control access, whilst sovereign AI focuses on meeting jurisdictional or regulatory requirements on data and system control.

It added that enterprise AI is increasingly constrained by data jurisdiction and infrastructure requirements, particularly as organisations deploy AI systems that require continuous access to data within regulated environments.

NTT DATA said the findings are based on two studies covering senior decision-makers across multiple industries and regions.

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