Sovereignty, distributed AI, and cost discipline will define the winners in 2026

By Jay Jenkins, Chief Technology Officer, Cloud Computing Services, Akamai Technologies

In 2026, Asia Pacific’s cloud landscape will undergo a profound shift toward autonomy, distribution, and intelligence. Driven by geopolitical realities, explosive AI demands, and skyrocketing costs, organizations will no longer tolerate vendor lock-in or centralized architectures. True resilience demands portability, edge proximity, and proactive governance—turning cloud strategy into a competitive weapon.

Digital Sovereignty Becomes Imperative

The EU’s drive to curb hyperscaler dominance has ignited a fire across APAC: digital sovereignty is evolving into economic sovereignty. Cloud portability is no longer a nice-to-have for cost savings—it’s a critical shield against geopolitical risks, regulatory shifts, and vendor vulnerabilities. India is charging ahead as the vanguard, with Australia rapidly scaling massive proof-of-concepts. But real sovereignty means infrastructure independence: seamlessly shifting workloads across providers, regions, and architectures without crippling technical debt or exit fees. This ...