IBM introduced Bharat Core on 13 October 2026, adding 20 to 25 India-specific tools and connectors to its Sovereign Core software, PTI reported.
Key points
- The connectors are intended to link Sovereign Core to Indian systems, including Aadhaar.
- IBM and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology signed a memorandum of understanding covering support for deep-tech startups.
- IBM says selected startups will have access to its expertise in quantum computing, hybrid cloud and enterprise AI.
Bharat Core connects to Indian systems
IBM presented Bharat Core at its Think 2026 event in Mumbai, The Hindu reported. Sandip Patel, managing director of IBM India and South Asia, called the approach “digital swaraj” and argued that organisations could retain control over technology without giving up innovation.
Patel told PTI that Bharat Core sits above Sovereign Core and includes connectors for Indian capabilities such as Aadhaar. He described the underlying requirement as extending beyond the location of stored data to control over technology and operations.
Sovereign Core can run in a data centre owned by a customer or partner while keeping its control plane and encryption-key management within the customer’s jurisdiction, The Times of India reported. That arrangement gives organisations cloud-like capabilities on infrastructure under local control.
IBM describes Bharat Core as an India-optimised AI stack with reusable Indic services, models and industry connectors. The company says the stack recommends infrastructure and other components for different stages of an AI project. The tools extend Sovereign Core’s deployment model to systems used in India.
Patel also said IBM had created a working reference architecture for a sovereign AI stack with the Andhra Pradesh government, BharatGen and NxtGen. He said the architecture could be used by government bodies and other clients in India or elsewhere. IBM plans to publish a white paper on the architecture, he told PTI.
MeitY memorandum targets deep-tech startups
IBM and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology signed a memorandum of understanding at the Mumbai event, Hindustan Times reported. Under the agreement, MeitY Startup Hub will work with IBM to give high-potential Indian deep-tech startups access to the company’s enterprise technologies and innovation platforms.
IBM said selected startups would be able to draw on its enterprise AI, hybrid cloud and quantum computing expertise to build and test products for Indian and international markets. It also plans technical guidance covering watsonx, the IBM Bob coding agent, Sovereign Core, hybrid cloud, quantum computing, security and automation.
The company said the work with MeitY Startup Hub would explore enterprise proofs of concept, founder mentoring, technical training and opportunities for startups to present products to potential customers and investors. It identified banking, finance, government and industry among the sectors the collaboration could cover.
IBM India’s software and services business
Accounts published for IBM India put revenue from operations at Rs 32,804 crore in FY25, up 7.7% from Rs 30,459 crore in FY24, according to Ministry of Corporate Affairs data obtained by Tofler and reported by The Times of India. Net profit rose 41.8% to Rs 3,968 crore from Rs 2,798 crore.
IBM has also worked with Yotta to make a sovereign AI agent platform available through Indian cloud regions, as AI Affairs reported. That arrangement concerns the availability of an agent platform, while Bharat Core supplies tools intended to connect Sovereign Core to Indian systems.
Accounts of Sovereign Core’s announcement date differ: The Times of India placed it in March, while Hindustan Times put it in January. Patel told The Times of India that IBM’s opportunity in India covers hardware, sovereign infrastructure software and tools for monitoring assets and improving data-centre efficiency.
