Dell Technologies Announces Survey Results on Sovereign AI in Asia-Pacific Governments

This document is an abridged translation of a press release announced in Singapore on May 13, 2026.

Asia-Pacific governments are addressing sovereign AI as a strategic national priority, while finding that scaling depends on trust, skills, and infrastructure.

Sovereign AI has rapidly risen to the second highest investment priority for governments in the Asia-Pacific region.

Nearly all (99%) of government leaders in the Asia-Pacific region believe that agentic AI will accelerate AI adoption, and the majority are seeking strong governance frameworks to unlock its potential at scale.

Nine out of ten government agencies cite severe skill shortages as a factor determining whether sovereign AI pilot projects can become trusted national platforms.

Singapore – May 13, 2026

Dell Technologies today announced the results of a survey on sovereign AI in Asia-Pacific governments, conducted by International Data Corporation (IDC) and commissioned by Dell. This revealed that Asia-Pacific governments are transitioning from the exploratory phase of AI to the structural utilization of sovereign AI.

The survey, based on 360 government IT decision-makers across eight countries in the Asia-Pacific region, showed that sovereign AI has risen from the 7th to the 2nd investment priority for governments in just one year. This represents a fundamental shift, indicating that public sector leaders in the region now recognize AI not merely as a technological upgrade, but as critical national digital infrastructure.

Asia-Pacific Governments Transitioning from Awareness to Utilization of Sovereign AI, but Investment Lags

The survey indicates that the stance of Asia-Pacific governments towards sovereign AI has progressed significantly beyond conceptual discussions. Nearly half (46.1%) are actively evaluating sovereign AI technologies, and over one-third (36.1%) are conducting initial proof-of-concepts.

This utilization is supported by clear strategic rationale. Over three-quarters (76.9%) of government leaders recognize that investment in sovereign AI enhances their agencies' resilience against geopolitical risks and supply chain disruptions. Nevertheless, only 3.1% of the total have made large-scale investments to date. Furthermore, only 1.7% reported having no plans to adopt sovereign AI.

Across the region, governments are pursuing “selective sovereignty,” leveraging the global technology ecosystem for innovation and scalability while maintaining strong control over sensitive data, critical systems, and regulated workloads. A hybrid sovereign model, combining on-premise infrastructure with sovereign cloud environments to allow access to a broader ecosystem, is emerging as the preferred deployment approach.

Agentic AI Expected to Accelerate AI Adoption by Asia-Pacific Governments

Almost all Asia-Pacific government leaders are confident that agentic AI will serve as a catalyst for accelerating AI adoption in the public sector. The survey shows that 99% of leaders view agentic AI as an accelerating factor, with over one-third (36.9%) believing it will play a major role, and an additional 62.1% expressing strong confidence in its potential when combined with robust governance and oversight frameworks. Only 1.1% indicated uncertainty.

This suggests that the Asia-Pacific region is bullish on agentic AI, and rather than hesitating, regional governments are actively preparing the governance foundations to confidently deploy agentic AI at scale.

This confidence is partly underpinned by operational necessity. Approximately nine out of ten government agencies in the Asia-Pacific region report severe digital skill shortages, and agentic AI is attracting attention as a means to augment the practical workforce. This enables governments to automate complex administrative and analytical tasks, achieving more with existing personnel. In a region where technology is outpacing workforce capabilities at a faster rate than the global average, autonomous AI systems offer a path to bridge the ambition-capability gap.

In this context, sovereign AI is increasingly functioning as a layer of trust that unlocks the adoption of next-generation AI capabilities. Agentic AI and generative AI systems operate within national policy, security, and auditability frameworks.