NTT DATA Expands Microsoft AI Footprint with WinWire Deal

AI acquisitions often begin in Silicon Valley, but their influence reaches industries across the global economy.

For telco operators racing to modernise networks and build new enterprise services, supplier partnerships around cloud and AI increasingly shape the technology stack sitting underneath the industry.

That is the backdrop to NTT DATA’s agreement to acquire Microsoft specialist WinWire, in a move that expands the company’s AI and Azure capabilities.

The deal gives NTT DATA access to more than 1,000 Azure engineers and Microsoft specialists, strengthening its Microsoft-focused business across AI, data engineering and cloud-native application development.

The acquisition deepens NTT DATA’s position within the Microsoft ecosystem.

NTT DATA says the acquisition supports its strategy to help enterprises move beyond AI testing programmes and into operational deployment across large organisations.

For telco providers, that includes automating workflows, managing customer operations and deploying AI applications securely across distributed cloud environments.

Abhijit Dubey, CEO and Chief AI Officer at NTT DATA, says: “The acquisition of WinWire is a decisive step in advancing our enterprise AI strategy and expanding our leadership in Microsoft Azure and AI-powered cloud transformation.

“By combining WinWire's deep expertise in cloud-native development and agentic AI with NTT DATA's global scale, this positions us to lead the shift to enterprise AI, enabling clients to move from experimentation to enterprise-wide deployment and achieve meaningful business outcomes.”

Cloud and AI demand grows

The acquisition arrives as telco operators and enterprise customers increase their investment in AI-ready infrastructure.

NTT DATA cites an Artificial Intelligence Market report, which forecasts the global AI market growing from US$390bn to nearly US$3.5tn over the next decade.

WinWire specialises in Microsoft Azure, Microsoft Fabric and Azure AI Foundry, all platforms seeing rising interest among communications service providers building data-heavy AI applications. 

The acquisition strengthens NTT DATA’s Global Business Unit for Microsoft Cloud, which spans Microsoft Cloud, security and AI services across more than 50 countries.

The unit already holds more than 24,000 Microsoft certifications.

WinWire also participates in Microsoft’s Agentic Partner Alliance Program. 

Microsoft ecosystem expands

The agreement strengthens NTT DATA’s long-standing relationship with Microsoft, building on its recognition as Microsoft’s 2025 Global System Integrator Growth Champion Partner of the Year.

The companies position the combined operation as a way to accelerate enterprise AI deployment across industries including telco, financial services and manufacturing.

Ashu Goel, CEO of WinWire, says: “As a leading Microsoft Solutions Partner recognized through multiple awards over the years, we built WinWire with a clear focus on delivering meaningful Microsoft Azure and AI-led transformation for our enterprise clients.

“Joining NTT DATA marks an exciting new chapter, allowing us to extend our capabilities to a much broader global client base. Together, we are well positioned to accelerate innovation and shape the next wave of AI-driven transformation for our clients.”

WinWire, headquartered in Santa Clara, California, operates global delivery centres in India and focuses heavily on AI-ready enterprise infrastructure.

The company develops frameworks designed to help enterprises scale AI deployments across business operations rather than keeping projects limited to pilot schemes.

One of those offerings is its Agentic AI @ Scale framework, designed to embed autonomous AI systems directly into enterprise workflows.

In telco environments, these systems can support areas like predictive maintenance, automated customer support and network optimisation.

Telco focus on operational AI

The deal reflects a broader telco industry trend as operators seek practical AI deployments tied to operational efficiency and enterprise revenue growth.

NTT DATA says the combined portfolio with WinWire spans several areas, including infrastructure, AI applications, managed services and data engineering.

Microsoft frames the acquisition as part of a wider enterprise push towards scalable AI adoption on Azure.

“As enterprises look to unlock the full value of AI on Microsoft Azure, the role of skilled partners has never been more critical,” says Stephen Boyle, CVP, Enterprise Partner Solutions Microsoft.

“By combining NTT DATA's global scale with WinWire's expertise in cloud-native development and agentic AI, this acquisition enhances our joint ability to co-innovate and deliver transformative solutions.”