Building the AI backbone: How to modernize infrastructure for growth

AI is rewriting the rules of competition even as it transforms industries. But here’s the catch: Your AI can only move as fast as the infrastructure beneath it.

NTT DATA’s Global GenAI Report found a critical barrier to adoption: 90% of leaders surveyed said that legacy infrastructure hindered the effective use of GenAI in their organizations.

Now, the organizations that are outpacing their markets are going beyond piloting models and proactively engineering a modern foundation that gets data where it needs to go, protects it at every step and turns insight into action — all in real time.

The secret to tangible business impact with AI

In other words, your competitors are already prioritizing their AI backbones, and the performance and precision of your infrastructure will be the ultimate differentiator.

A future-ready infrastructure is the difference between an AI program that stalls and one that delivers real business impact. It allows you to:

• Move data securely and seamlesslyacross systems and clouds.
• Act on real-time intelligenceto outpace markets and reduce risks.
• Elevate customer experienceswith automation and deep personalization.

Bottom line: Infrastructure modernization is a strategic bet on your organization’s relevance, resilience and growth.

Which AI bottlenecks are hiding in plain sight?

You can have the most advanced algorithms, but if they’re deployed on brittle, outdated infrastructure, the results will be slow and costly. AI thrives on speed, scale and security, but legacy environments often fail on all three fronts.

The most common bottlenecks we see include:

• Aging platforms that create rigid architectures that can’t flex to meet the dynamic demands of AI workloads. Scaling up becomes expensive and time-consuming, turning innovation into a bottleneck.
• Growing security exposureas data flows across multiple systems and clouds, making every new integration a potential vulnerability.
• Fragmented integrationbetween AI tools and core networks, leading to latency and operational silos while ultimately undermining the promise of real-time intelligence.

The solution isn’t another patch or incremental upgrade. What changes the game is a shift from reactive fixes to a coherent modernization strategy — one that treats infrastructure as a strategic enabler of AI-driven outcomes.

• ALSO READ → Build an AI-ready network to secure your organization’s future

Your blueprint for an AI-ready enterprise

To get real business value from AI, with measurable impact, you need an outcome-driven infrastructure strategy. Every investment should be tied to clear business objectives such as speed, scalability, security and user experience, rather than isolated technology upgrades. 

Here are the core principles of an AI-ready infrastructure:

• Hybrid data centers: Balance performance, cost and compliance by combining on-premises and cloud solutions. For on-premises, focus on the fundamentals that matter to AI at scale: storage throughput, elastic computing, intelligent networking and deep observability. Hybrid architectures allow you to tune for latency, data sovereignty and economics per workload.
• Proactive cybersecurity: Shift from detection to anticipation. Use AI to surface anomalies sooner, automate containment and respond faster. This protects your brand and minimizes downtime as your data environment scales.
• AI‑ready networking: Build smart, secure and scalable networks designed to meet the demands of AI-driven environments. Your infrastructure must adapt in real time to support distributed workloads and dynamic data flows.
• Digital workplace and customer experience: Empower your teams with intelligent tools and seamless access to information to help them work smarter and faster. Raise customer satisfaction by delivering more personalized, responsive and consistent experiences across every touchpoint

These projects are strategic investments in your ability to compete and lead in the AI era.

How to accelerate your AI journey with confidence

So, where do you begin your AI-ready infrastructure modernization?

At NTT DATA, we can help you assess your environment, identify gaps and translate your AI ambitions into a prioritized, enterprise-ready roadmap. Our Technology Solutions advisory services provide deep analysis and structured insights that help you plan your journey with confidence.

We combine deep expertise in secure networking, AI integration and infrastructure transformation with a global footprint and industry-specific know-how. We help you:

• Design and deploy AI-ready infrastructure that scales with demand
• Navigate complexity with proven frameworks and tailored strategies
• Grow sustainably by pairing innovation with operational excellence

Our focus is singular: Deliver secure, scalable, intelligent systems that turn your AI strategy into results that matter.

Modernize your infrastructure with intent, and your organization will set the pace in the era of AI. The winners will be those who treat the backbone of AI as a competitive advantage, engineered deliberately for speed, security and scale.

• ALSO READ → The invisible backbone: Why your workplace is only as good as its network