IBM introduces Sovereign Core software to address digital sovereignty

IBM announced IBM Sovereign Core, an AI-ready sovereign-by-design software for enterprises, governments and service providers; a tech preview starts in February and general availability is planned for mid-2026.

IBM announced IBM Sovereign Core, software it describes as AI-ready and sovereign-by-design for enterprises, governments and service providers. The company says the product is intended to help organizations build, deploy and manage AI-ready workloads under their own operational authority. IBM framed the announcement against rising regulatory requirements and broader concerns about who operates and controls technology environments. The company describes digital sovereignty as extending beyond data residency to include who controls systems, how data is accessed and governed, where workloads run, and under whose jurisdiction AI models operate. Key points: - IBM Sovereign Core is purpose-built software to build, deploy, and manage cloud-native and AI workloads under an organization's authority, and is built on Red Hat open source foundations. - IBM describes sovereignty as an inherent property of the software rather than as a set of controls layered onto existing architectures. - The product can be deployed on-premises, in supported in-region cloud infrastructure, or through IT service providers. - Initial partner rollouts in Europe are planned with Cegeka in Belgium and the Netherlands and Computacenter in Germany. - A tech preview is scheduled to begin in February, with general availability planned for mid-2026. Summary: IBM presents Sovereign Core as intended to give organizations verifiable sovereignty and operational independence when running sensitive data and AI workloads. Initial partner deployments in Europe will precede broader availability. The tech preview begins in February and general availability is planned for mid-2026.