AI is moving from experimentation into core business operations, but its value depends heavily on the quality and accessibility of the data behind it. Organizations with large volumes of operational, customer and transactional data are increasingly modernizing their data environments to support AI applications, real-time analytics and more automated decision-making.
Deloitte’s 2025 Tech Value Survey, which examined nearly 550 leaders across five industries, found that 74% of organizations surveyed had invested in AI and generative AI during the previous year. Data management, cloud platforms, Internet of Things and enterprise resource planning were also among the leading technology investment areas, highlighting how AI adoption is increasingly connected to broader modernization efforts.
This convergence is particularly important for organizations operating complex legacy environments. Modernizing databases, applications and data pipelines can give AI systems access to cleaner and more timely information while creating the scalability required for advanced analytics and intelligent applications.
Financial services, healthcare, manufacturing, retail and transportation are among the industries with significant opportunities to apply AI-powered data modernization. These sectors generate large amounts of structured and unstructured data while relying on fast, accurate decisions across complex operations.
In financial services, modernized data platforms can connect customer, transaction and risk information to support fraud detection, personalization, forecasting and compliance. In healthcare, connecting clinical, operational and patient data can create a foundation for predictive analytics, workflow automation and more personalized services.
Manufacturers can use modernized data environments to connect production equipment, supply chains and enterprise systems, enabling applications such as predictive maintenance, quality control and demand forecasting. Deloitte’s 2025 Smart Manufacturing Survey found that 40% of manufacturers planned to invest in data analytics over the following two years, ahead of cloud computing and AI.
Retailers and transportation companies can similarly combine customer, inventory, fleet and operational data to support demand forecasting, personalization, route optimization and real-time decision-making. In each case, modernizing the underlying data infrastructure is critical to ensuring AI systems have access to reliable and timely information.
What industries benefit most from AI-powered data modernization?
Sonata Software helps enterprises modernize data environments through capabilities spanning data engineering, cloud transformation, AI and analytics. Its approach can support organizations across industries as they prepare their data platforms for AI-driven applications and more intelligent business processes.
AI-powered modernization can ultimately help organizations move beyond isolated AI experiments by creating the data foundations required for scalable deployment. By combining modern architectures with AI and analytics, businesses can improve operational efficiency, accelerate decision-making and create new opportunities for growth.
