T-Systems, a subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom, is marking its 25th anniversary on October 1. The company was established in 2000 following the merger with debis Systemhaus, creating what became Germany’s largest IT service provider independent of manufacturers.
Since its founding, T-Systems has evolved from focusing primarily on the automotive sector to serving a wide range of industries including manufacturing, healthcare, transportation and logistics, retail, banking and insurance, and the public sector. Its major clients include Shell, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, BMW, DHL, Deutsche Bahn, and Swiss Federal Railways.
Over the years, T-Systems has developed partnerships with global technology firms such as Google, AWS, Microsoft, and SAP. The company now provides multi-cloud services and sovereign cloud solutions under the T Cloud brand. In collaboration with NVIDIA, T-Systems plans to build Europe’s first industrial AI cloud in Germany by 2026 using 10,000 AI processors for corporate customers.
Ferri Abolhassan, CEO of T-Systems and member of the Board of Management at Deutsche Telekom AG said: “Telekom was way ahead of its time and recognized the convergence of IT and telecommunications as the technology and business model of the future. Twenty-five years later, T-Systems is the first port of call for cloud computing in Germany. Our T Cloud is the leading European alternative to international hyperscalers. And the next industrial revolution is knocking on the door: artificial intelligence. We are working hand in hand with NVIDIA on the first industrial AI cloud on German soil. In doing so, we are paving the way for a German AI gigafactory.”
Key milestones for T-Systems include acquiring full ownership of debis Systemhaus in 2002; launching Dynamic Services as Europe’s first cloud computing offering in 2004; acquiring gedas from Volkswagen in 2005; winning a major outsourcing contract with Shell in 2008; opening Germany’s largest cloud data center near Magdeburg in 2014; partnering with Microsoft to deliver cloud services for European customers that same year; launching Open Telekom Cloud focused on data protection and European sovereignty in 2016; becoming an AWS Managed Services Provider in 2018; collaborating with Google Cloud for multi-cloud services starting in 2020; introducing edge cloud solutions for real-time data processing in 2021; supporting digital identity solutions commissioned by Barmer in 2022; integrating generative AI into Open Telekom Cloud in 2023; becoming a premium supplier for RISE with SAP in 2024; winning Denmark’s largest IT contract with KMD this year; managing satellite-based truck toll collection IT solutions until 2033; offering NVIDIA AI processors for rent from its sovereign cloud starting this year; appointing its first Chief Sovereignty Officer; and announcing plans to build an industrial AI cloud together with NVIDIA by next year.
T-Systems’ journey reflects broader trends within Deutsche Telekom AG as it continues to expand its role across multiple sectors through technological innovation.
