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Knowledge Hub / Matt Eastwood

Analyst Spotlight

Matt Eastwood
SVP, WW Research
IDC

Analyst Spotlight

AI Infrastructure: The Foundation of the Agentic Era

The world is entering a defining moment for digital infrastructure. Artificial intelligence has moved from experimentation to ubiquity, and with it, a new operational paradigm is taking shape — one where agents rather than applications become the primary engines of digital value creation. This is the dawn of the agentic AI era, and its success depends on one thing above all else: robust, intelligent, and scalable infrastructure.

From Automation to Autonomy

For decades, infrastructure strategy has focused on efficiency – making IT faster, cheaper, and more reliable. But AI is forcing a step change. IDC’s Worldwide IT Industry 2026 FutureScape predicts that by 2028, nearly half of all IT product and service interactions will be mediated by AI agents. These systems are not just automating tasks; they are reasoning, collaborating, and acting in context – continuously learning from data to improve business outcomes.

Supporting this shift requires infrastructure that can think for itself. IDC’s Future of Digital Infrastructure research shows that by 2029, 70% of new operating systems will ship with built-in infrastructure operations agents and model context servers to drive efficiency, security, and sustainability. In short, we are moving from systems that are operated to systems that operate themselves.

AI Factories and the Rise of Private Intelligence

The massive growth of generative and agentic AI has triggered a global infrastructure renaissance. Enterprises and hyperscalers alike are building “AI factories”. These are the next-generation data centers purpose-built for high-density and GPU-driven workloads. AI-ready data center spending in the U.S. has tripled in three years and forecast anticipate that demand for AI-ready capacity will grow 33% annually through 2030.

IDC’s recent Private AI Infrastructure Systems MarketScape underscores why this matters: as AI workloads scale, organizations need hybrid models that balance performance, cost, and control. Leaders like Dell Technologies, HPE, and Cisco are responding with turnkey private AI systems that integrate compute, storage, networking, and model management software into secure, cloud-consistent platforms. These systems form the backbone of enterprise AI, where data sovereignty, security, and latency matter most.

The Power, Cooling, and Connectivity Challenge

The scale of AI infrastructure buildout is also testing physical limits. High-density GPU clusters can draw tens of kilowatts per rack, driving record levels of power demand and forcing innovation in liquid cooling and grid optimization. IDC predicts that by 2030, 70% of new liquid-cooled deployments will adhere to open standards, improving compatibility and reducing deployment costs by one-third. The infrastructure bottleneck is shifting from compute to power and cooling, making sustainability not just an ESG issue but an operational imperative.

Toward the Autonomous Enterprise

Agentic AI doesn’t live in isolation – it depends on a digital fabric that spans datacenters, clouds, and edge environments. By 2027, IDC expects 80% of enterprises to deploy distributed edge infrastructure to support low-latency AI inferencing, and 75% will use interconnection-oriented networks to secure and orchestrate AI workloads. This fusion of automation, intelligence, and interconnection is paving the way toward autonomous IT operations, where humans remain in the loop but not in the way.

Why It Matters Now

CIOs in the Australia and beyond are standing at the intersection of two transformations: the modernization of infrastructure and the emergence of the agentic enterprise. The winners will be those who view AI infrastructure not as a cost center but as a catalyst – the intelligent backbone that allows agents, data, and humans to collaborate seamlessly.

At the IDC CIO Summit 2026, we’ll explore how forward-thinking leaders are reimagining infrastructure for this new era by building the secure, sustainable, and scalable foundations of an intelligent enterprise. Because in the age of agentic AI, infrastructure isn’t just the platform for innovation. It is the innovation.

AI & Data Summit MY-Knowledge Hub

Knowledge Hub

Discover thought-provoking articles from IDC analysts, strategic partners, and end-user speakers. Explore expert viewpoints on the latest tech trends, real-world transformation stories, and forward-looking insights shaping the digital future.

AI Infrastructure: The Foundation of the Agentic Era

The world is entering a defining moment for digital infrastructure. Artificial intelligence has moved from experimentation to ubiquity, and with it, a new operational paradigm is taking shape — one where agents rather than applications become the primary engines of digital value creation. This is the dawn of the agentic AI era, and its success depends on one thing above all else: robust, intelligent, and scalable infrastructure.

Matt Eastwood
| IDC
SVP, WW Research
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AI & Data Summit MY – Agenda

Agenda

Agenda

AI & Data Summit Malaysia

One Day Event

8:00 am

Registration and Networking

9:00 am

Welcome Address

9:05 am

IDC Keynote: The AI Moment: Strategies for CIOs

Sandra Ng

Sandra Ng

Senior Vice President, WW and APJ Research, IDC

9:25 am

Navigating Complexity: Simplifying the Tech Buying Process

9:45 am

Agentic AI: The Next Wave of Industry Transformation

9:55 am

Scaling for Success: The Age of Inferencing  

10:05 am

CIO Focus: Shaping the Future Workforce    

10:15 am

AI Governance: Transforming Governance and Cybersecurity

10:25 am

Roundtable Discussion Set 1

10:45 am

Roundtable Discussion Set 2

11:05 am

Tea/ Coffee & Networking Break

11:30 am

Technology Focus Group

Technology Focus Group Track A: Agentic AI: Strategic Opportunities and Operational Challenges for CIOs

11:30 am – 11:35 am

Start of Session Raffle

11:35 am – 11:45 am

From Challenges to Solutions: Achieving Quality Excellence in an App-Centric World

11:45 am – 11:55 am

Is Your Enterprise Ready to Tackle the Complexities of AI Development?

11:55 am – 12:05 pm

Beyond the Technology: Enhancing Digital Experiences for CIOs

12:05 pm – 12:15 pm

AI-Powered Cybersecurity: A New Era of Threat Detection and Response

Technology Focus Group Track B: Reimagining Cloud Modernization in the Age of AI

11:30 am – 11:35 am

Start of Session Raffle

11:35 am – 11:45 am

Building an AI-Ready Cloud Roadmap

11:45 am – 11:55 am

The Cloud to Edge Continuum for AI Excellence

11:55 am – 12:05 pm

Hybrid and Multi-Cloud Strategies for AI Workloads

12:05 pm – 12:15 pm

Upskilling for the Intelligent Cloud Era

12:15 pm

Innovation Challenge

12:55 pm

Lunch & Networking

1:35 pm

Pitching the Innovation Challenge

2:05 pm

Workshops

Workshop Partner A: CIO 3.0: Orchestrating Technology, Data, and People for Competitive Advantage

Workshop Partner B: CIO as Change Leader: Navigating Organizational and Cultural Shifts

Workshop Partner C: Hands-On Lab: Assessing Your AI Maturity Model

Workshop Partner 4: Responding to AI Disruption: A CIO’s 100-Day Plan

2:55 pm

Felicitation of Partners / Speakers

3:05 pm

Mega Raffle, Summary

3:15 pm

Cocktail Making Networking Activity

3:45 pm

Close of Summit

AI & Data Summit MY – Speakers

Meet Our Speakers

Uncover breakthrough insights from IDC experts and exclusive sessions featuring influential voices transforming technology and leadership today

Meet Our Speakers
Sandra Ng

Sandra Ng

Senior Vice President, WW and APJ Research

IDC

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Daniel-Zoe Jimenez

Daniel-Zoe Jimenez

Vice President Research

IDC

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Linus Lai

Linus Lai

Group Vice President, Research

IDC

Read bio

Stephanie Krishnan

Stephanie Krishnan

Associate Vice President, Research

IDC

Read bio

Abhishek Kumar

Abhishek Kumar

Head of AP Enterprise Applications & CX Research

IDC

Read bio

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IDC and Smartsheet Executive Roundtable

17 Jun 2026 Manila, Philippines

IDC and Smartsheet Executive Roundtable

From Workflow Automation to Agentic Operations

Scaling AI Across Construction and Manufacturing

17 Jun 2026 Manila, Philippines

In Partnership With

Logo

Construction and manufacturing organizations are moving beyond isolated automation initiatives toward AI-enabled operational orchestration. As projects become more distributed, production environments more complex, and supply chains more volatile, enterprises are increasingly looking at how AI can coordinate workflows, optimize execution, and support faster operational decision-making across teams, assets, and business functions.

 

IDC research highlights that organizations across Asia/Pacific are evolving from siloed AI pilots toward more integrated operational AI capabilities. In manufacturing, AI-driven scheduling, intelligent workflow orchestration, operational cybersecurity, and real-time decision support are becoming increasingly important as enterprises look to improve agility, resilience, and execution efficiency across complex operating environments.

 

For construction and manufacturing leaders, the challenge is no longer whether to adopt AI, but how to scale it effectively across execution-heavy environments. This requires connected work management platforms, integrated operational data, governance frameworks, and visibility across projects, plants, field teams, subcontractors, and supply ecosystems.

 

This roundtable, organised by IDC and Smartsheet, will explore how enterprises are evolving from workflow automation toward AI-driven operational coordination and what it takes to build connected, intelligent, and governed work management environments across complex construction and manufacturing operations.

Agentic AI In Asia/Pacific: What The Data Says

In manufacturing, by 2027, over 40% of manufacturers with production scheduling systems in Asia/Pacific will enhance them with AI-driven autonomous capabilities

By 2028, 65% of A2000 enterprises in Asia/Pacific will operate ‘AI factories’ centralized, automated platforms for deploying and scaling AI workflows and agents

40% of Asia/Pacific enterprises are already testing agentic AI solutions and POCs, and 30% are developing use cases for operational deployment

The top priorities for scaling agentic AI in Asia/Pacific:

  • Responsible AI – 56%
  • Change management – 47%
  • Data management – 21%

Agenda

IDC and Smartsheet Executive Roundtable

One Day Event

11:00 am

Registration & Networking

11:30 am

Welcome Address

11:35 am

The Agentic Shift: How AI is Redefining Operations in Construction and Manufacturing

Stephanie Krishnan

Stephanie Krishnan

Associate Vice President, Research, IDC

11:45 am

Building the Operational Backbone: Connected Work Management for AI-Driven Construction and Manufacturing

Joe Kristo

Joe Kristo

Director, Solutions Engineering, Smartsheet

11:55 am

Open Discussion

12:40 pm

Summary & Close

12:45 pm

Networking Lunch

Speakers

Stephanie Krishnan

Stephanie Krishnan

Associate Vice President, Research

IDC

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Joe Kristo

Joe Kristo

Director, Solutions Engineering

Smartsheet

Read bio

In Partnership With

Venue

Shangri-La The Fort

Room: Capiz Room, Level 3

30th Street, corner 5th Ave, Taguig, 1634 Metro Manila, Philippines

Be Part of it!

Register Now

IDC & NTT DATA & Google Cloud Roundtable

30 Jun 2026 Singapore

IDC & NTT DATA & Google Cloud Roundtable

The Rise of the Digital Executive Layer

How Agentic AI Is Reshaping Decision-Making

30 Jun 2026 Singapore

In Partnership With

Logo Logo

Enterprises across Asia Pacific are entering a new phase of AI maturity, one where AI is no longer confined to analytics or automation but is increasingly embedded into decision-making itself. According to IDC, organizations that scale AI successfully are those that integrate it deeply into operational and strategic workflows, rather than treating it as a standalone capability.

 

This shift is giving rise to what can be described as a ‘Digital Executive Layer’ a new decision-making fabric embedded across the enterprise. In industries such as BFSI, manufacturing, and healthcare, this is already becoming tangible. For instance, in banking, AI is moving into core decision workflows like corporate lending, where agentic systems are expected to streamline approvals and improve portfolio health.

 

In healthcare, the shift is even more profound. IDC highlights that 75% of providers in Asia-Pacific expect greater productivity gains from agentic AI than traditional GenAI, with adoption expanding into real-time clinical decision support and autonomous workflows. This reflects a broader transition from reactive to predictive and proactive care models, where AI continuously informs and adjusts decisions.

 

Meanwhile, in manufacturing, AI is evolving from predictive analytics to autonomous, data-driven operations, powered by cloud and connected assets. The next phase of industrial AI will depend on integrating massive data streams, hybrid cloud platforms, and intelligent automation, enabling factories to self-optimize and adapt in real time.

 

IDC in collaboration with NTT DATA & Google Cloud is organizing this roundtable to explore this critical topic and pose a defining question to today’s C-suite: Are we simply augmenting executives with AI, or are we building a parallel, intelligent layer that will fundamentally reshape how decisions are made?

Key Insights Include:

As AI agents become increasingly autonomous, organizations are exploring how a digital executive layer can augment human judgment, accelerate decision-making, and drive enterprise-wide transformation.

Where are we already seeing AI move from insights to autonomous decision-making across BFSI, manufacturing, and healthcare?

How is the shift from AI for efficiency to AI for innovation changing enterprise priorities and investments?

What does it take to build a cloud-to-edge, AI-ready architecture that supports real-time, distributed decision-making?

As AI becomes more autonomous, how should organizations rethink governance, risk, and accountability?

Are enterprises prepared for a future where AI becomes a core decision-making layer alongside leadership?

Agenda

IDC & NTT DATA & Google Cloud Roundtable

One Day Event

5:30 pm

Registration & Networking Tea/Coffee

6:00 pm

IDC Welcome Address

Sandra Ng

Sandra Ng

Senior Vice President, WW and APJ Research, IDC

6:05 pm

IDC Keynote: Building the Digital Executive Layer: The Next Frontier of Enterprise AI

As AI evolves from automation to autonomous decision intelligence, enterprises are creating a new “digital executive layer” that augments strategic and operational decision-making. This keynote explores how organizations can responsibly scale agentic AI across business functions to drive agility, resilience, and measurable business outcomes.

Sandra Ng

Sandra Ng

Senior Vice President, WW and APJ Research, IDC

6:20 pm

From Insights to Action: Operationalizing Agentic AI Across the Enterprise

Organizations are moving beyond AI experimentation toward embedding intelligent agents into everyday workflows. This session examines how enterprises can operationalize agentic AI to accelerate decisions, improve productivity, and enable real-time business responsiveness.

Nathan Goh

Nathan Goh

Head, Google Workspace Customer Engineering, APAC, Google Cloud

Hayley Haupt

Hayley Haupt

Advisory Partner, NTT DATA

6:40 pm

Open Discussion: The Future of Executive Decision-Making in the Age of Agentic AI

As AI becomes increasingly embedded into enterprise operations, organizations must redefine the balance between human judgment and autonomous intelligence. This interactive discussion will explore how leaders can build trust, governance, and organizational readiness while embracing AI-driven decision ecosystems.

Sandra Ng

Sandra Ng

Senior Vice President, WW and APJ Research, IDC

Nathan Goh

Nathan Goh

Head, Google Workspace Customer Engineering, APAC, Google Cloud

Hayley Haupt

Hayley Haupt

Advisory Partner, NTT DATA

7:15 pm

Dinner and Networking

Speakers

Sandra Ng

Sandra Ng

Senior Vice President, WW and APJ Research

IDC

Read bio

Nathan Goh

Nathan Goh

Head, Google Workspace Customer Engineering, APAC

Google Cloud

Read bio

Hayley Haupt

Hayley Haupt

Advisory Partner

NTT DATA

Read bio

Partners

In Partnership With

Venue

CUT by Wolfgang Puck

10 Bayfront Ave, B1-71 The Shoppes, Marina Bay Sands, Singapore 018956

Join Us for this Roundtable

Register Now