How Cloud and Infrastructure Solutions Are Redefining Operational Agility

With nearly three decades of experience in enterprise technology, Shantanu Chaudhuri is a respected leader in the Oracle ecosystem. As Vice President and Global Head of the Oracle Practice at Tech Mahindra, he drives the company’s global Oracle strategy encompassing business development, delivery excellence, and innovation-led transformation.

His expertise spans the entire Oracle technology spectrum from applications to cloud and AI-driven solutions. Before joining Tech Mahindra, he held leadership roles at Infosys, Capgemini, and other global firms, leading large-scale Oracle transformation programs. Renowned for his strategic vision and customer-centric approach, Shantanu continues to guide enterprises through intelligent, Oracle-powered digital transformation.

Oracle’s accelerating push into AI-driven cloud platforms and autonomous data technologies is redefining enterprise computing.

In this exclusive conversation with M R Yuvatha, Senior Correspondent at siliconindia, Shantanu Chaudhuri, Vice President & Global Head of Oracle Practice at Tech Mahindra, shares insights on Oracle’s latest AI innovations, the impact of Oracle AI World 2025 announcements, and how enterprises and young engineers should prepare for this seismic shift.

Before we get there, I would like to highlight that the views expressed here are my personal and based on the insights that I gained from my own experience and associations with various industry leaders, analysts and experts.

Over the last year, Oracle has moved AI from the lab to the enterprise core. The integration of Generative AI within Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI), the AI-infused Autonomous Database and Agentic AI Platform embedded in Oracle SaaS Application are driving real transformation.

We are seeing customers use these capabilities to automate insight generation, streamline financial reconciliations, and create intelligent digital assistants embedded within Oracle Fusion Applications. The result, up to 40 percent faster decision cycles and significant productivity improvements. The true differentiator is Oracle’s ability to make AI a native, secure, and enterprise-ready layer within its applications, not a bolt-on.

How do you see the return on investment evolving for enterprises adopting Oracle’s AI technologies both in the near term and over the next few years?

My personal view on this is in near term, AI delivers tangible productivity gains automating repetitive business processes, improving accuracy, and enhancing customer engagement through AI-driven insights.

But the long-term ROI is far more strategic. Over the next 3-5 years, organizations will leverage Oracle’s AI stack for autonomous decision-making and predictive operations. The focus will shift from cost optimization to value creation using AI to continuously learn from data, adapt to market conditions, and drive new revenue models. CIOs who treat AI as a strategic enabler, not a one-time project, will see the biggest payoff.

As we know you have been in the Oracle AI World in Las Vegas in this year. Oracle’s announcement at AI World 2025 regarding its massive AI Data Center investments has generated buzz. How do you interpret this move and its implications for the industry?

Oracle’s commitment to building next-generation AI Data Centers marks a pivotal moment. It’s a clear signal that Oracle aims to be not just an application or database leader but a foundational AI infrastructure player.

Unlike general-purpose hyperscalers, Oracle’s infrastructure is built with enterprise-grade data security, governance, and performance optimization in mind. As an Oracle Partner, this opens up exciting opportunities to co-innovate, integrating our domain-specific accelerators and managed AI services to help enterprises consume these capabilities effectively. It also enables hybrid deployment models that balance agility, compliance, and cost efficiency.

Many enterprises still struggle with data readiness for AI. What challenges do you observe, and how is Tech Mahindra helping clients address them within the Oracle ecosystem?

Data readiness remains the critical enabler or barrier to AI success. Most organizations face three common hurdles: fragmented data systems, lack of consistent metadata, and inadequate governance for responsible AI.

As an implementation partner for our customers, I believe, we need to first focus to build a ‘Data-to-AI Maturity Accelerator’ specifically for Oracle environments. It integrates automated data profiling, lineage visibility, and governance into OCI Data Lakehouse architectures. This ensures that enterprises progress from descriptive to prescriptive analytics with a structured, compliant, and scalable data foundation.

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How do you advise clients to balance rapid AI deployment with responsible and ethical AI governance?

That’s a question every boardroom is now asking. We emphasize building AI Control Towers, governance structures that combine technology oversight with ethical and compliance frameworks.

Oracle’s ecosystem supports this with transparent model management, bias detection, and explainability tools. We can integrate these features into our delivery approach, ensuring clients can innovate rapidly while maintaining accountability. Responsible AI isn’t a separate initiative; it’s a core design principle.

Which industries are leading in AI adoption on Oracle’s platform, and how is the services landscape evolving to meet their needs?

AI adoption is becoming deeply verticalized.

• In BFSI, Oracle’s AI tools are driving next-gen credit analytics and fraud prevention.
• In telecom, predictive network optimization using Oracle’s Autonomous Data Warehouse is reducing downtime and improving service reliability.
• In healthcare, AI-powered data management is ensuring compliance and enhancing patient outcomes.
  As service providers, we’re moving from being system integrators to becoming AI outcome partners delivering end-to-end solutions that bundle domain IP, AI accelerators, and managed AI operations. The future lies in outcome-based, not effort-based, engagement models.

Finally, what advice would you offer to young engineers preparing for the AI-driven Oracle landscape?

I’d emphasize three focus areas.

First, technical fluency gain hands-on experience with Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, Autonomous Database, and its AI/ML services.

Second, data and AI literacy understand how data flows, how models are trained, and how AI outcomes impact business processes.

And third, design thinking and communication the ability to translate business challenges into AI-driven solutions will be the differentiator.

In the coming decade, success won’t belong only to coders it will belong to those who can connect technology with purpose. Oracle’s ecosystem offers a fertile ground for that evolution.

Any Closing Thought?

AI isn’t just enhancing Oracle’s technology stack it’s redefining how enterprises operate. The organizations that view AI as a core capability, not an add-on, will lead the next wave of digital transformation. Our role should be to make that transformation tangible, ethical, and sustainable.