Cloudera has revealed new global research showing that artificial intelligence (AI) has moved from an emerging technology to a fundamental part of enterprise operations. The findings come from the company’s latest report, The Evolution of AI: The State of Enterprise AI and Data Architecture, which surveyed more than 1,500 IT leaders worldwide.
AI moves from experiment to mainstream adoption
According to the report, 96% of IT leaders said AI is at least somewhat integrated into their core business processes, a jump from 88% in 2024. This shift highlights how quickly AI has moved from pilot projects to mainstream adoption. The impact is clear, with 70% of respondents reporting significant success with their AI initiatives, and only 1% yet to see results.
Enterprises are adopting various AI approaches, including generative AI (60%), deep learning (53%), and predictive models (50%). Confidence in managing emerging AI technologies has grown, with 67% of IT leaders saying they feel more prepared to handle tools such as AI agents compared to a year ago.
Hybrid data architecture becomes standard
Behind this acceleration is a major change in data strategy. Cloudera’s study found that hybrid data architecture — combining on-premises and cloud systems — has become the preferred approach for enabling AI at scale. Businesses cited stronger security (62%), better data management (55%), and improved analytics (54%) as key benefits.
However, challenges remain. Only 9% of organisations reported that all their data is available and usable for AI initiatives. The most significant technical barriers include data integration (37%), storage performance (17%), and compute power (17%). A data-driven culture is also still developing, with just 24% of enterprises describing themselves as highly data-focused.
“AI has shifted from a strategic priority to an urgent mandate, actively reshaping operations and redefining the rules of competition,” said Sergio Gago, Chief Technology Officer at Cloudera. “But our survey shows that enterprises still face deep challenges around security, compliance, and data utilisation. Cloudera’s mission is to bring AI to data wherever it resides while ensuring full governance and trust.”
Singapore enterprises advance but face security risks
The research also highlights trends specific to Singapore. Of those surveyed, 88% of local IT leaders said AI is at least partly integrated into their businesses, but only 2% can access all their data for AI initiatives. While 12% reported transformational success and 39% significant success, concerns about costs and security remain high.
Data storage expenses (56%), integration costs (52%), and risks of data breaches or leakage (52%) are top worries. AI security threats, such as model manipulation or poisoning (41%) and unauthorised data access (41%), were also cited as major challenges.
“Enterprises in Singapore are moving past experimentation and into a new phase of maturity with AI,” said Remus Lim, Senior Vice President, Cloudera Asia Pacific and Japan. “The challenge now lies in unlocking data at scale while addressing persistent security and compliance risks. By combining cloud flexibility with AI-powered governance and scalable analytics, Cloudera enables enterprises to modernise their data architecture without compromising trust.”
Despite these concerns, confidence levels remain relatively strong. Almost a quarter of organisations said they are extremely confident in securing data used in AI systems, with a further 53% very confident and 19% somewhat confident.
The report was unveiled at EVOLVE25 NYC, Cloudera’s flagship event showcasing innovations at the intersection of AI and data.
