BharathCloud Aligns With BDIA At Bharat Digital Samvad To Advance India’s Sovereign AI Infrastructure Vision

BharathCloud engaged in discussions at Bharat Digital Samvad, the inaugural national forum organised by the Bharath Digital Infrastructure Association (BDIA), in New Delhi. The summit brought together policymakers, cloud infrastructure leaders, regulators, enterprises, and technology stakeholders to discuss India’s digital sovereignty, AI infrastructure readiness, and the future of domestic cloud ecosystems.

The event also initiated the official launch of BDIA as an association of not-for-profit industry dedicated to developing and improving India’s digital infrastructure through policy dialogue, collaboration, and with the vision of Data Swaraj. The summit discussions centred on key topics such as developing sovereign cloud infrastructure, an AI-ready compute ecosystem, digital industry policies, and the long-term reliance on foreign-controlled digital infrastructure.

Conversations at the summit indicated a rising focus on Digital Swaraj and self-sovereign AI-ready infrastructure, AI Cloud Adoption to support India's long-term digital resilience. Throughout the conference, the discussion was concentrated on a much larger industry perspective towards digital sovereignty and infrastructure policy.

Participating in the event, Rahul Takkallapally, Co-Founder, BharathCloud and Founding Member of BDIA, said, “India’s digital growth will become stronger when Indian technology companies collaborate within one ecosystem and grow together. It is encouraging to see nearly 40 organisations come together through BDIA with a shared focus on digital sovereignty, trusted infrastructure, and long-term technology resilience. The collaboration of emerging organisations showcases the potential of BDIA. Bharat Digital Samvad creates an authentic and collaborative space where industry stakeholders can work together to support India’s AI and digital infrastructure ambitions.”

Leadership Voices Piyush Somani, President, BDIA and Promoter, Chairman & Managing Director, ESDS Software Solution Ltd., said, “India has already built one of the world’s most extensive digital infrastructure ecosystems. The focus now is on ensuring that the governance, control, and long-term value created through this infrastructure remain within the country. Data Swaraj is no longer just a larger vision for the future; it is becoming a practical necessity for India’s digital growth. Bharat Digital Samvad reflects an important step where industry and policy stakeholders are coming together to shape that direction collectively.”

Abhishek Bhatt, Secretary General, BDIA, said, “India had early leadership through platforms like Rediff, Sify, Khoj, and Indiatimes, but domestic ecosystems lacked the policy support needed to scale competitively. Today, with Atmanirbhar Bharat and a new generation of founders building at scale, Bharat Digital Samvad and BDIA reflect a stronger push toward India-led digital ecosystems. While 100 per cent digital sovereignty may not be practical, India must strengthen and support the critical digital infrastructure being built locally. Our digital market size itself is one of India’s biggest strategic advantages in the global digital economy.”

The summit focused on establishing concrete frameworks that will support India's ambitions for self-reliance in technology, with discussions extending beyond the industry level to include both policy development and implementation. In addition, the forum will create a path for future policy recommendations, industry standards and infrastructure plans that will be used to shape the development and governance of AI and digital infrastructure in India during its next phase of growth.

About BharathCloud
BharathCloud is a Hyderabad-based sovereign AI cloud services provider delivering secure, scalable, and AI-driven solutions to businesses and startups globally. BharathCloud offers end-to-end cloud and digital transformation solutions, including IaaS, PaaS, SaaS, AI/ML, HPC, and innovative platforms offering AI-powered smart storage and Bharat Big Bucket(B3), KaaS (Kubernetes-as-a-Service). Its enterprise-grade infrastructure ensures high performance, multi-location backups, disaster recovery, and compliance with global standards such as ISO 27001, TPN and HIPAA. For more information, visit www.bharathcloud.com 

AICPA & CIMA Conclude CFO Summit And RISE2040 In Bengaluru With Discussions On AI And Finance Transformation

The Association of International Certified Professional Accountants, representing AICPA and CIMA, brought together finance leaders, accounting professionals, educators, policymakers, and business executives in Bengaluru recently for two major industry engagements centred on the changing future of finance and accounting amid rapid advances in artificial intelligence, automation, and digital transformation.

Hosted at The Ritz-Carlton, Bengaluru, the two-day engagement opened with the CFO Summit under the theme, “What Accounting and Finance Will Do Differently.” The summit convened senior finance leaders and decision-makers for conversations around the evolving responsibilities of finance functions, changing business expectations, leadership priorities, and the growing influence of technology on enterprise strategy and operational decision-making. Sessions across the day reflected the expanding role of CFOs in advancing strategic growth, managing transformation priorities, strengthening organisational preparedness, and supporting businesses through increasingly dynamic operating conditions.

The following day, AICPA & CIMA hosted RISE2040 under the theme, “Reimagining the Profession for

the Next Generation in the Age of AI.” The conference examined how artificial intelligence, automation, digital capability, and shifting workplace expectations are redefining the accounting and finance profession globally and influencing how future talent will be trained, developed, and prepared for leadership.

RISE2040 brought together professionals, educators, students, industry leaders, and business stakeholders to examine how finance and accounting roles are evolving alongside technological advancement and changing organisational requirements. Discussions explored the growing importance of analytical thinking, ethical judgement, adaptability, technology fluency, and interdisciplinary capabilities as businesses accelerate AI integration across functions.

The conference also examined how professional education and learning frameworks will need to evolve to remain aligned with changing industry realities. Speakers across sessions highlighted the importance of continuous upskilling, industry-academia collaboration, and future-ready professional development models to help finance and accounting professionals remain prepared for increasingly technology-enabled business environments.

“RISE2040 brought together diverse perspectives on how the finance and accounting profession must evolve amid rapid technological, regulatory and workforce shifts. The discussions reinforced that while AI and digital transformation are reshaping the profession, trust, ethics, strategic thinking, governance and communication remain central to effective leadership. RISE2040 reflects the profession’s collective effort to actively shape its future - moving beyond adaptation to leadership in defining what comes next. India continues to play a critical role in shaping global talent and capability, and these conversations are essential to preparing finance professionals to lead in a rapidly changing world.” said Venkkat Ramanan, Regional Vice President for Asia Pacific, AICPA & CIMA.

Alongside the conferences, AICPA & CIMA hosted a press interaction examining the future of the accounting and finance profession, the growing influence of artificial intelligence across business operations, and the changing expectations from finance and accounting teams in a rapidly transforming global economy.

The engagements reinforced India’s growing significance within the global accounting and finance ecosystem, particularly as organisations continue to increase investments in digital capability, AI integration, innovation-driven business models, and future-ready talent development. The events also reflected the growing emphasis on collaboration between industry, academia, employers, and professional bodies to help shape a finance and accounting workforce equipped for the demands of the coming decades.

About AICPA and CIMA

The Association of International Certified Professional Accountants, representing the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), is one of the world’s largest professional bodies for accounting and finance professionals. Formed in 2017, it brings together the capabilities and legacy of both organisations to support the profession across more than 150 countries and territories, with a combined network of over 580,000 members, candidates and registrants.

AICPA is the world’s largest member association for the CPA profession, responsible for setting ethical, attestation, and private company auditing standards in the United States and for developing the Uniform CPA Examination. IMA is the world’s leading professional body of management accountants and works closely with employers to equip finance professionals with the skills required for business leadership and strategic decision-making. Together, these organisations contribute to a global framework that supports both public accounting and management accounting disciplines.