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The Illusion of AI Sovereignty: Washington and Beijing Still Pull the Strings
A new wave of digital nationalism is sweeping through public policy and enterprise boardrooms. Countries including France, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Singapore, and India are doubling down on sovereign AI. They are investing in localized data ecosystems, region-specific LLMs, national AI clouds, and stricter compliance regimes. No nation today enjoys absolute, full-stack AI sovereignty. Rather than chasing total independence, the trend is toward layered sovereignty: choosing which parts of the stack to control, influence, outsource, or codevelop. The sovereign AI game is not binary; it is composable. In the coming decade, national AI strategies will be defined not by what a country builds alone but by what it chooses to own, protect, and shape on its own terms.
June, 2025
From Field Agents to AI-Powered Advisors: How Generative AI and Agentic AI Have Redefined Insurance Distribution
The insurance landscape has long relied on the expertise and reach of field agents to drive customer acquisition, foster relationships, and build trust. In many regions, particularly across Asia, Africa, and Latin America, field agents have served as the lifeblood of insurance distribution for decades. However, this traditional model is undergoing a rapid, foundational transformation.
July, 2025
From Strategy to Business Value: AI Prioritization Considerations for CAIOs and CTOs
Strategic AI prioritization is undergoing a fundamental shift as enterprises move from experimentation to scaled, business-aligned transformation. Traditional scoring models and ROI frameworks are no longer sufficient to evaluate the complexity of generative AI and agentic AI initiatives. Instead, a multidimensional approach is emerging, one that aligns use case selection with enterprise goals, assesses talent readiness, and embeds responsible AI practices from the start. By adopting this integrated model, CAIOs and CTOs can drive scalable, sustainable, and outcome-focused AI adoption across the organization.
August, 2025
IEEE Quantum Week 2025: Key Takeaways
The IEEE Quantum Week 2025 marked a turning point, where bold public investments, global road maps, and early enterprise pilots converged to push quantum from lab curiosity to economic and security imperative. New Mexico’s $315M commitment and DARPA’s Quantum Frontier Project underscore a shift toward ecosystem-scale bets. Yet, the real challenge is not just technical—it’s trust and alignment among scientists, investors, and policymakers. This whitepaper explores how distributed architectures, accessible quantum OS layers, and realistic workforce strategies will shape the road to a “ChatGPT moment” for quantum, emphasizing that enterprises must act now or risk being left behind.
September, 2025
Business Process Services Pricing and Solution Trends: H1 2025
In this report, Avasant provides key information on pricing and solution trends for the business process services industry from the past 12 months. The report covers various aspects, including market demand, provider solution trends, commercial engagement trends, emerging location trends, and pricing and staffing trends in the space. The geographic coverage is global, with a large share of data points from North America. The report builds on insights gathered through our enterprise interactions, ongoing market research, data collection, and the AvaMark™ Price Benchmarking database.
October, 2025
Life and Annuities Insurance Digital Services 2023–2024 RadarView™
The Life and Annuities Insurance Digital Services 2023–2024 RadarView™ can help L&A insurance enterprises craft a robust strategy based on industry outlook, best practices, and digital transformation. The report can also aid them in identifying the right partners and service providers to accelerate their digital transformation in this space. The 92-page report also highlights top market trends in the L&A insurance space and Avasant’s viewpoint.
July, 2023
Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Region Digital Services 2024 Market Insights™
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Region Digital Services 2024 Market Insights assists organizations in identifying important demand-side trends that are expected to have a long-term impact on any digital projects in the GCC region. The report also highlights key challenges that enterprises face today.
February, 2024
Internet of Things Services 2024 Market Insights™
The Internet of Things Services 2024 Market Insights™ assists organizations in identifying important demand-side trends that are expected to have a long-term impact on any IoT projects. The report also highlights key IoT challenges that enterprises face today.
April, 2024
Business Process Services Pricing and Solution Trends: H1 2024
In this report, Avasant provides key information on pricing and solution trends for the business process services industry from the past 12 months. The report covers various aspects, including market demand, provider solution trends, commercial engagement trends, emerging location trends, and pricing and staffing trends in the space. The geographic coverage is global, with a large share of data points from North America. The report builds on insights gathered through our enterprise interactions, ongoing market research, data collection, and the AvaMark™ Price Benchmarking database.
July, 2024
The Open-Source Gambit: Did DeepSeek Ignite an AI Arms Race?
On January 20, 2025, DeepSeek stunned the industry with the release of DeepSeek-R1, an open-source, cost-efficient AI model that rivaled OpenAI’s GPT-4 on multiple benchmarks. DeepSeek did not just disrupt the AI industry; it sparked a geopolitical AI arms race. The battle for AI sovereignty has begun. While multiple governments have banned DeepSeek over data security concerns, its impact on AI’s trajectory is definite. Just as Sputnik’s launch in 1957 ignited the space race, DeepSeek has triggered a reckoning in AI strategy, forcing the world to reconsider the balance between accessibility, security, and sovereignty.
February, 2025
SAP Sapphire 2025: A Turning Point for AI-driven Enterprise Operations
At SAP Sapphire 2025, SAP unveiled a cohesive strategy to transform enterprise operations through embedded AI and unified data infrastructure. Central to this is the SAP Flywheel model, which allows applications, data, and AI to reinforce each other, enabling context-aware automation via Joule, SAP’s AI copilot. Joule extends across SAP and non-SAP systems, improving decision-making in users’ daily workflows. Supporting this is the Business Data Cloud, a unified, open data platform designed to eliminate fragmentation and fuel intelligent applications. With partnerships including Palantir and Adobe, SAP is aligning its architecture for the AI era, turning siloed data into real-time, cross-functional intelligence.
June, 2025
From Big Data to Smart Decisions: Enabling the Intelligent Enterprise
The utility industry is experiencing significant transformation. Traditionally characterized by carbon-intensive generation and a rigid, one-way power grid, it is now at the forefront of digital innovation. Central to this shift is Southern California Edison, a major utility embracing artificial intelligence (AI) and big data to redefine energy production, distribution, and consumption. This article examines how Southern California Edison is leading this change, based on insights from a conversation at Avasant’s Empowering Beyond event between Avasant’s Managing Partner, Henry Guapo, and Todd Inlander, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer of Southern California Edison. Their discussion highlights the impact of advanced analytics, intelligent infrastructure, and a dedication to decarbonization on the future of utilities.
July, 2025
Enhancing Project Success through Effective Onboarding
Starting a new job can be both exciting and challenging, especially when it comes to understanding the specifics of a new project. A well-structured project-specific onboarding process is essential for ensuring new hires are adequately prepared and confident in their roles. This article explores the importance of project-specific onboarding and how it differs from general company-wide onboarding. It details our approach to creating a dynamic and engaging onboarding experience, which includes comprehensive orientation, interactive training sessions, mentorship, gradual integration, and regular feedback. By prioritizing project-specific onboarding, we aim to foster a positive and productive work environment that benefits both the individual and the team, ultimately driving the project's overall success.
August, 2025
The Impact of Broadcom’s Acquisition of VMware: Pricing and Licensing Changes, and Strategies for Mitigation
With VMware’s customer base facing up to 800% price hikes, Broadcom’s $69B acquisition has become a strategic inflection point for enterprise IT leaders. The shift has triggered widespread reevaluation of virtualization strategies, especially as Broadcom transitions VMware’s licensing from perpetual to subscription-based models. According to Avasant’s benchmark data, over 70% of enterprises are now actively exploring mitigation strategies, including hybrid cloud adoption and alternative hypervisor platforms,to offset cost escalations and maintain operational continuity. For organizations deeply embedded in VMware’s ecosystem, understanding these changes and responding with agility is no longer optional; it’s essential.
September, 2025
Navigating the Divestiture Process: From Strategy to Execution
In today’s volatile market, over 70% of Fortune 500 companies are actively reshaping their portfolios through divestitures. While the rewards are high, the risks are real. At Avasant, we help organizations turn complexity into clarity—transforming divestiture into a strategic growth engine.
October, 2025