Noida International Airport recently inked a pact with Kyndryl to manage its technology infrastructure and provide operational support. Kyndryl, which was created as a spinoff from IBM’s infrastructure services business, will support the upcoming airport’s IT estate on Kyndryl Bridge, an AI-powered open integration platform. “A key driver of Kyndryl’s growth in India is our deep sectoral expertise as we help businesses modernise IT and build for scale,” says Lingraju Sawkar, president, Kyndryl India, as he discusses with Sudhir Chowdhary their go-to-market strategy. Excerpts:
How are enterprises integrating AI into their operations?
Customers in India have always been keen to adopt new technologies and drive innovation in their organisations. The Kyndryl Readiness Report perfectly sums it up, stating that India’s leaders overwhelmingly prioritise technology modernisation with 96% considering it as a high priority and 37% already in a leading position. Generative AI (GenAI) remains a dominant trend with the conversation shifting from exploration to enterprise-scale deployment. Businesses are increasingly adopting AI co-pilots, agentic AI ecosystems, and domain-specific solutions to streamline decision-making and boost productivity. At the same time, concerns around data privacy and compliance is driving adoption of private clouds. Compact, cost-effective AI models are also gaining traction, offering a balance between security and efficiency. AI is also redefining cyber resilience strategies with advanced threat detection capabilities, predictive analytics and significantly enhancing our response times.
What new facets are favouring Kyndryl’s business growth?
Gartner predicts India’s IT spending will reach $160 billion in 2025 as enterprises accelerate digital transformation, cloud adoption, and automation. We partner with leading enterprises across BFSI, automotive, telecom, and travel—the most recent one being with Noida International Airport (NIA). We are working with NIA to manage and modernise their technology environment powered by insights from Kyndryl Bridge. Beyond traditional sectors, global capability centres (GCCs) are a major focus area as there is an increased focus on empowering GCCs to drive strategic growth for their parent organisations.
How do Kyndryl Consult and Kyndryl Bridge help companies in their digital initiatives?
As enterprises adopt new technologies and modernise their IT to stay competitive, they need to navigate challenges in legacy systems and technology integration while ensuring security and compliance. Kyndryl has built capabilities in Kyndryl Consult, Kyndryl Vital, and Kyndryl Bridge to help businesses integrate, monitor and manage their operations more efficiently and cost-effectively. Kyndryl Consult provides pragmatic transformational solutions for customers, breaking down complex challenges into achievable projects with actionable insights. By controlling costs, integrating business processes, and streamlining operations we ensure efficiency and stability. Kyndryl Bridge is an AI-powered, open integration platform that is transforming IT operations by automating tasks, identifying potential risks and optimising infrastructure performance. Kyndryl Vital, a designer-led, open and collaborative co-creation experience, helps customers solve complex business challenges.
What are the challenges you see in scaling AI innovations?
AI and Gen AI have shown great potential to redefine business operations, yet scaling their adoption beyond pilots remains a challenge. AI’s success largely depends on data readiness, but 65% of enterprises struggle with access to data and preparation. In India, where businesses manage vast and diverse data, ensuring its accuracy and security becomes critical. The AI talent gap, ensuring ethical usage of AI and ensuring regulatory compliance are some key challenges that need to be addressed through strong AI governance and ecosystem partnerships. India’s digital success offers a roadmap – just as the India Stack drove large-scale adoption, enterprises can build on this foundation to scale AI responsibly and drive economic growth.
How do you plan to expand your India operation?
FY25 has been a year of growth driven by strong momentum in Kyndryl Consult and robust signings and we plan to accelerate this further in FY26 by expanding margins and driving profitability. Our focus remains clear: to be the preferred technology services partner for enterprises in India. We are successfully executing our 3A strategy—alliances, advanced delivery, and accounts —and we’re scaling Kyndryl Bridge and Kyndryl Consult, that will help companies navigate complexity, mitigate risk, and drive business growth. India is at the heart of this strategy. With our talent, expertise, and execution capabilities, Kyndryls are helping customers prepare for an increasingly complex digital future.
