Hewlett Packard Enterprise today announced a strategic partnership with 2degrees, one of New Zealand’s foremost telecommunications and technology providers, to boost artificial intelligence (AI) innovation and enhance domestic data control.
Under the collaboration, HPE and 2degrees will develop a purpose-built private AI platform based on HPE Private Cloud AI, co-developed with NVIDIA under the NVIDIA AI Computing by HPE initiative.
The new solution modernizes and simplifies 2degrees’ technology environment, building a sovereign, unified, and flexible platform that empowers 2degrees to deliver more agile and scalable solutions while improving security by storing critical customer and operational data on shore in New Zealand.
The solution aims to improve the reliability, reduce downtime, and optimize network performance for 2degrees, providing an integrated, on-premise environment that combines secure data management and advanced AI-driven analytics.
“This collaboration with 2degrees demonstrates what is possible when you combine local expertise with HPE’s world-class innovation,” said Colin Henderson, Managing Director for New Zealand at HPE. He noted that deploying HPE’s “turnkey AI factory” sets a benchmark for how organisations can responsibly adopt AI while maintaining full control over their data.
For 2degrees, the partnership represents a strategic step forward in its digital transformation. Stephen Kurzeja, Chief Technology and Information Officer at 2degrees, said the new AI infrastructure gives the company the ability to move faster, extract deeper insights, and deliver more intelligent network capabilities for its customers across New Zealand.
Practical Applications and Network Innovation
Initial use cases for the new AI platform include autonomous network operations, predictive maintenance, and AI-enabled capacity planning, functionality aimed at enhancing network performance, resilience and responsiveness.
Kurzeja highlighted early results from initial deployments, describing local AI agents as a “critical enabler” for moving toward a more autonomous, resilient network that better serves customers throughout New Zealand.
The partnership comes at a time when organisations globally are navigating complex cross-border data regulation and increasingly prioritising onshore control of sensitive information. By anchoring AI workloads and data within New Zealand, HPE and 2degrees seek to offer a model for sovereign AI infrastructure that meets both regulatory and commercial requirements.
Also Read: How CIOs and CISOs Can Govern AI Without Slowing the Business
