IBM and Google Cloud Announce Strategic Partnership to Scale AI with Human Expertise and AI‑Powered Delivery
- Expands IBM Consulting Advantage, an AI‑powered delivery platform, with industry‑specific agents for Gemini Enterprise
- New global Google Cloud practice brings thousands of IBM consultants to help clients scale AI, and modernize core systems
- The practice represents a multi-billion-dollar opportunity in Google Cloud Services
ARMONK, N.Y. and SUNNYVALE, Calif., June 4, 2026 /CNW/ -- IBM (NYSE: IBM) and Google Cloud today announced the launch of a new Google Cloud Practice, designed to help organizations more quickly scale AI into production and modernize core systems. The new practice combines IBM's deep industry expertise and IBM Consulting Advantage – the company's AI-powered platform that helps IBM teams design, build and deploy AI solutions faster using agents and industry workflows – now with Google Cloud's Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform, cybersecurity and data capabilities.
With thousands of Google Cloud-certified IBM consultants and forward-deployed engineers, the practice will help enterprises deploy AI solutions, modernize legacy environments, and manage technology across complex hybrid landscapes. This represents a multi-billion-dollar opportunity for IBM and Google Cloud, with each bringing unique strengths that matter to clients.
IBM is creating a portfolio of industry‑specific AI agents built on IBM Consulting Advantage and optimized for Gemini Enterprise. These agents support use cases for banking, government, retail, telecommunications, energy, security, insurance, and life sciences, helping organizations automate workflows, improve decision-making, and accelerate autonomous operations powered by Gemini models.
With the new partnership, IBM consultants can now design, build, and govern enterprise‑grade AI agents directly on Google Cloud. Pre‑built assets, reusable agents, and proven transformation methods from IBM can be combined with Google Cloud's agent runtime, governance controls, and enterprise safety features, helping organizations move from design to deployment with enhanced speed and consistency.
IBM and Google Cloud have already partnered on major migration and modernization efforts, including work with Airbus, where IBM consultants and Google Cloud helped transition two aerospace businesses into fully independent operations in under 18 months by updating more than 100 critical systems across engineering, manufacturing, customer service, and other regulated functions.
"Enterprises are facing one of the most complex modernization cycles in decades," said Mohamad Ali, Senior Vice President and Head of IBM Consulting. "By expanding our work with Google Cloud, we're giving clients a clearer and more reliable path to scale AI across their business, combining deep industry expertise, hybrid‑cloud modernization, and an AI‑first delivery platform."
"This partnership significantly expands the pool of expert Google Cloud consultants in the market to meet surging demand for AI," said Kevin Ichhpurani, President, Global Partner Ecosystem at Google Cloud. "By combining Google's agentic infrastructure with IBM's deep industry expertise and proven delivery frameworks, we are ensuring joint customers can move beyond pilots to deploy and govern production-grade AI agents across their entire cloud environment."
IBM Consulting will help develop common interface patterns and solutions that connect enterprise data into Gemini using an open and flexible approach by integrating technology from IBM and its ecosystem. These interfaces can be tailored for each client's architecture, helping organizations unify their data while more easily scaling Gemini‑based AI capabilities.
The practice focuses on several priority areas:
- Production-ready AI and data: Helping clients build foundations that support real, skilled AI systems, rather than pilots, by combining IBM's industry knowledge and AI assets with Google Cloud's Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform and BigQuery.
- Industry‑specific solutions: Delivering AI and data capabilities for sectors such as aerospace, financial services, government, healthcare, and telecommunications. This includes Confluent to stream and govern real‑time data so AI systems can optimize operations, anticipate risk, and deliver outcomes tailored to each industry's regulatory demands.
- Modernizing cybersecurity operations: Providing AI‑driven defense and security capabilities intended to strengthen readiness and accelerate response.
- Hybrid cloud modernization: Updating critical workloads across on‑premises and cloud environments, including for highly regulated industries. Red Hat OpenShift is now available directly in the Google Cloud Console.
- Enhanced AI‑powered workflows: Integrating Gemini with watsonx Orchestrate to improve decision automation and agent intelligence, and into watsonx.data to give clients more flexible ways to generate insights to support smarter applications.
- Operational resilience and governance: Using IBM automation, supported by HashiCorp and Apptio, with Google Cloud AI to support improved monitoring, compliance, and performance.
Statements regarding IBM's and Google Cloud's future direction and intent are subject to change or withdrawal without notice, and represent goals and objectives only.
About IBM
IBM is a leading provider of global hybrid cloud and AI, and consulting expertise. We help clients in more than 175 countries capitalize on insights from their data, streamline business processes, reduce costs and gain a competitive edge in their industries. Thousands of governments and corporate entities in critical infrastructure areas such as financial services, telecommunications and healthcare rely on IBM's hybrid cloud platform and Red Hat OpenShift to affect their digital transformations quickly, efficiently and securely. IBM's breakthrough innovations in AI, quantum computing, industry-specific cloud solutions and consulting deliver open and flexible options to our clients. All of this is backed by IBM's long-standing commitment to trust, transparency, responsibility, inclusivity and service. Visit www.ibm.com for more information.
About Google Cloud
Google Cloud offers a powerful, optimized AI stack — including AI infrastructure, leading models like Gemini, data management capabilities, multicloud security solutions, developer tools and platform, as well as agents and applications — that enables organizations to transform their business for the Agentic Era. Customers in more than 200 countries and territories turn to Google Cloud as their trusted technology partner.
Media Contacts
Elizabeth Brophy
IBM
elizabeth.brophy@ibm.com
Josh Gunter
Google Cloud
jmgunter@google.com
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SOURCE IBM
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