IBM and Google Cloud have introduced a new Google Cloud Practice aimed at helping organizations accelerate AI adoption in production and modernize core systems. This initiative brings together IBM’s deep industry expertise and IBM Consulting Advantage—an AI-powered platform that enables IBM teams to design, build, and deploy AI solutions more efficiently using agents and industry-specific workflows—with Google Cloud’s Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform, along with its advanced cybersecurity and data capabilities.
Backed by thousands of Google Cloud–certified IBM consultants and forward-deployed engineers, the practice will support enterprises in deploying AI solutions, modernizing legacy systems, and managing technology across complex hybrid environments. The initiative represents a multi-billion-dollar opportunity for both IBM and Google Cloud, combining complementary strengths that deliver tangible value to clients.
IBM is also developing a portfolio of industry-specific AI agents built on IBM Consulting Advantage and optimized for Gemini Enterprise. These agents are designed for sectors such as banking, government, retail, telecommunications, energy, security, insurance, and life sciences, enabling organizations to automate workflows, enhance decision-making, and accelerate autonomous operations powered by Gemini models.
Through this partnership, IBM consultants can design, build, and govern enterprise-grade AI agents directly on Google Cloud. By combining IBM’s pre-built assets, reusable agents, and proven transformation methodologies with Google Cloud’s agent runtime, governance controls, and enterprise-grade safety features, organizations can move from design to deployment with greater speed and consistency.
IBM and Google Cloud have already collaborated on large-scale migration and modernization initiatives, including a project with Airbus. In that engagement, IBM consultants and Google Cloud enabled the transition of two aerospace businesses into fully independent operations in under 18 months, modernizing more than 100 critical systems across engineering, manufacturing, customer service, and other regulated functions.
“Enterprises are facing one of the most complex modernization cycles in decades,” said Mohamad Ali, Senior Vice President and Head of IBM Consulting. “By expanding our work with Google Cloud, we’re giving clients a clearer and more reliable path to scale AI across their business, combining deep industry expertise, hybrid‑cloud modernization, and an AI‑first delivery platform.”
“This partnership significantly expands the pool of expert Google Cloud consultants in the market to meet surging demand for AI,” said Kevin Ichhpurani, President, Global Partner Ecosystem at Google Cloud. “By combining Google’s agentic infrastructure with IBM’s deep industry expertise and proven delivery frameworks, we are ensuring joint customers can move beyond pilots to deploy and govern production-grade AI agents across their entire cloud environment.”
IBM Consulting will support the development of common interface patterns and solutions that connect enterprise data to Gemini through an open, flexible approach, integrating technologies from IBM and its broader ecosystem. These interfaces can be customized to each client’s architecture, enabling organizations to unify data and scale Gemini-based AI capabilities more effectively.
The practice will focus on several key priority areas:
* Production-ready AI and data: Helping clients build foundations that support real, skilled AI systems, rather than pilots, by combining IBM’s industry knowledge and AI assets with Google Cloud’s Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform and BigQuery.
* Industry‑specific solutions: Delivering AI and data capabilities for sectors such as aerospace, financial services, government, healthcare, and telecommunications. This includes Confluent to stream and govern real‑time data so AI systems can optimize operations, anticipate risk, and deliver outcomes tailored to each industry’s regulatory demands.
* Modernizing cybersecurity operations: Providing AI‑driven defense and security capabilities intended to strengthen readiness and accelerate response.
* Hybrid cloud modernization: Updating critical workloads across on‑premises and cloud environments, including for highly regulated industries. Red Hat OpenShift is now available directly in the Google Cloud Console.
* Enhanced AI‑powered workflows: Integrating Gemini with watsonx Orchestrate to improve decision automation and agent intelligence, and into watsonx.data to give clients more flexible ways to generate insights to support smarter applications.
* Operational resilience and governance: Using IBM automation, supported by HashiCorp and Apptio, with Google Cloud AI to support improved monitoring, compliance, and performance.
