Hitachi Digital Services Ranked Market Leader in HFS Research’s 2026 Next-Gen IT Infrastructure Services Report
The report evaluates providers’ ability to help enterprises reimagine infrastructure for AI-native operations, real-time and ultimate edge (on-device) computing, and hybrid and distributed architectures amidst growing regulatory complexity.
Overview
For the 2026 Next-Gen IT Infrastructure Services report, HFS Research evaluated 17 global IT service providers across the value chain, assessing their ability to transform fragmented and static systems into seamless AI-native digital foundations that solve challenges such as:
- Legacy estate complexity and technical debt
- Security, resilience and regulatory complexity
- AI workload readiness and infrastructure strain
- Operational cost and efficiency mandates
- Talent shortages
Service providers were grouped into three “Horizons” with Hitachi Digital Services earning the top designation of Market Leader or “Horizon 3”. Horizon 3 suppliers are recognized for modernizing and managing enterprise infrastructure with secure, reliable operations while advancing a OneOffice mindset and OneEcosystem approach.
Differentiated Hitachi Digital Services capabilities highlighted by HFS Research include:
- Engineering-led operations model via Hitachi Application Reliability Centers (HARC)
- Embedded agentic AI across operations
- Architecture-first infrastructure strategy (defining multidomain reference architectures across cloud, edge, and IT–OT)
- Proven execution in mission-critical environments
- Evolution to predictive, intelligent operations
“Hitachi Digital Services (HDS) differentiated IT–OT convergence strategy, combined with its growing focus on platform-led infrastructure and AI-enabled operations, positions it well to support enterprises transitioning from fragmented, operations-led environments to integrated, outcome-driven digital infrastructure. Through its Lumada-based capabilities and investments in data, edge, and industrial platforms, HDS is enabling more contextual, real-time decision-making across distributed environments. Its approach reflects a shift toward infrastructure as an intelligent, orchestrated layer – where resilience, performance, and business outcomes are increasingly managed through software, automation, and domain-aware insights.”
