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2026 Will be a Pivotal Year as AI Momentum Drives Deeper Ecosystem Alliances

2026 will be a transitional year defined by technology ecosystem expansions — multiparty alliances spanning IT, OT, devices, edge and silicon; industrial/physical AI acceleration, especially at the edge and in manufacturing; and strategic bottlenecks as skill shortages and infrastructure gaps slow sovereign AI adoption. TBR expects significant changes in how technology vendors collaborate and compete, which lays the groundwork for broader, more integrated AI ecosystems. This is an optimistic prediction. Multiparty alliances require exceptional leadership, shared understanding of commercial models and transparency among partners, and AI aids only the last of these. The human component remains the most significant roadblock. IT-OT convergence and a surge in connected everything have been a TBR (and broader market) prediction for years, and while “signs point to yes,” as the Magic 8 Ball says, 2026 could be another year of disappointing progress, as hype around physical AI could far outpace reality. 

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2026 Predictions: Alliances & Partnerships

Systems integrators (SIs) are a key piece of the puzzle to bridge IT and OT. Although NVIDIA provides a platform, the complexity exceeds what most IT teams can manage. The SI also must act as a bridge between IT and OT technologies, skill sets and cultures. Expanding partnerships with industrial automation leaders such as Siemens is central to this. 

A partner at a leading consultancy with a substantial IT services practice once told TBR that even if an OEM gave him a gold brick, he would not try to sell it to his customers, in part to protect his brand from being associated with selling a physical product. This sentiment will not last through 2026.    

Partnership activities will center on the strongest sovereign AI providers and the most well-established sovereign cloud regions, as would be expected. Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft are the clear leaders in sovereign cloud delivery capabilities, and their geographic focus will remain the U.S. and Europe, particularly Germany. The U.K. should also see concentrated investment and lead in early adoption.