Commonwealth Bank completes major AWS data migration for AI push

The Commonwealth Bank of Australia has completed the migration of its data platform to Amazon Web Services with support from HCLTech.

The migration, which the bank describes as one of the largest and fastest of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere, involved moving over 61,000 data pipelines. According to the organisations involved, the process was undertaken in phases and included rigorous testing to ensure data integrity and system performance were maintained throughout.

The bank's move aims to accelerate the integration of Artificial Intelligence across its operations. With the completion of the migration, CBA now uses more than 2,000 AI models, leveraging approximately 157 billion data points to make around 55 million decisions daily.

Terri Sutherland, Commonwealth Bank's Lead for Data Platforms, commented on the project's significance. "Migrating our data to the cloud is a significant milestone for the bank. Every day, we're using AI to make around 55 million decisions intended to benefit our customers and our people. We have over 2,000 AI models feeding on approximately 157 billion data points – making CBA one of the largest corporate users of AI in the country. This initiative not only enhances our data capabilities but also supports our strategic priority to deliver global best digital experiences and technology for our customers."

The re-platforming to AWS began in July 2024 and was delivered at what the bank describes as an accelerated pace with no compromise to performance or data quality. All of CBA's data is now hosted in a cloud environment, which forms the foundation for integrating AI and analytics technology with bank operations as well as customer and employee channels.

Jamie Simon, Director of Financial Services for AWS Australia and New Zealand, welcomed the achievement. "As the bank's preferred cloud provider, AWS is pleased to support CommBank as they build an advanced data and AI platform, utilising our highest standards in security, compliance, and resilience at scale, for its applications. This migration represents a significant milestone and provides the foundation for CommBank to accelerate the innovative use of AI and agentic AI to deliver better customer and employee experiences. AWS's long-standing collaboration with CommBank demonstrates how Australian banks are leaders in thinking big and moving boldly to lead in the global digital and AI economy."

Sutherland further outlined the operational improvements facilitated by the cloud migration. "Successfully migrating 100 per cent of our data to the Cloud will allow us to simplify our technology stack, reduce our on-premises data centre footprint, and scale our operations per demand.

"The team's ability to deliver such a massive project so quickly reinforces the bank's leadership in this space, and means we can continue to deliver streamlined, secure and personalised services that our customers expect. Having the right data foundations built on advanced technology enables CBA to unleash its full potential with AI and Agentic AI," Sutherland said.

The collaboration involved a phased approach to transferring and testing each data pipeline. CBA has said that no loss in system functionality or compromise to sensitive data occurred during the migration process.

HCLTech, which partnered with CBA through the project, supports cloud and artificial intelligence modernisation for various international organisations. The completion of CBA's data migration marks an additional enterprise-scale deployment by HCLTech in the financial sector.

The bank has indicated that with all data workloads now in the cloud and AI integrated more widely, it expects to be able to adapt its operations at scale and introduce new digital products and personalisation initiatives as required. CBA also anticipates that its reduced reliance on traditional data centres will allow for greater flexibility in future technology investments and operational scalability as customer needs evolve.