More than half of organisations in Asia Pacific want tighter control over sensitive and strategic data, as concerns about artificial intelligence, security and compliance push digital sovereignty higher up the boardroom agenda.

A new Expereo-commissioned study conducted by IDC found that 51 per cent of APAC organisations prioritising digital sovereignty want to retain control over sensitive and strategic data, broadly in line with the global figure of 53 per cent. The region places greater weight on the issue than its global peers: 38 per cent of APAC respondents view digital sovereignty as a top or high priority, against 33 per cent globally, and 43 per cent rank it among their leading drivers of technology investment, compared with 30 per cent worldwide.

AI adoption widens the security gap

The findings come from the IDC InfoBrief “Enterprise Horizons 2026: Global Technology Leaders’ Priorities & Insights,” which surveyed technology leaders on how they are managing data as AI and cloud adoption accelerate. Among APAC organisations that have yet to adopt AI or are only beginning to, 60 per cent cite security, data privacy, compliance or digital sovereignty concerns as a significant barrier. Separately, 54 per cent of regional technology leaders see new security risks as a likely consequence of using AI.

Investment priorities over the next 12 months reflect that unease: 65 per cent of APAC organisations plan to prioritise security and cybersecurity spending, followed by AI and machine learning at 61 per cent and networking and connectivity at 55 per cent.

Networks lag behind AI ambitions

Only 9 per cent of APAC organisations say their network infrastructure is fully ready to support new technology initiatives, while 54 per cent describe their networks as mostly ready but with gaps. Another 30 per cent say current infrastructure can support present needs but will soon need an upgrade.

The drivers behind digital sovereignty vary by market. In Malaysia and Australia, retaining control over sensitive data ranks highest, cited by 55 per cent and 56 per cent of respondents respectively. Thailand’s top concern is cross-border data transfer, at 54 per cent, while Singapore respondents point more to customer or partner pressure for data localisation, at 24 per cent.

“There is no single path to digital sovereignty across Asia Pacific. Businesses are navigating very different regulatory environments, cross-border data requirements and geopolitical risks, while accelerating their adoption of cloud and AI,” said Eric Wong, President, Asia Pacific at Expereo.

Wong said that as AI adoption accelerates, network visibility will become an increasingly important part of helping organisations manage risk and operate across multiple jurisdictions.

The survey covered organisations across Australia, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam and Singapore, among other APAC markets.