Accenture Plc Ireland - ACN STOCK NEWS

INFRONEER Holdings and Accenture (NYSE: ACN) announced a joint venture agreement to establish INFRONEER Strategy & Innovation, set to launch on April 1, 2025. The JV will be 81%-owned by INFRONEER HD and 19%-owned by Accenture, employing approximately 100 people.

The venture aims to address Japan's critical infrastructure challenges, including aging facilities, labor shortages, and financial constraints. The JV will focus on three main initiatives: implementing data-driven management models, improving construction site productivity through digital technology, and enhancing infrastructure operations efficiency.

Key technological implementations include AI integration, a digital platform linking various business operations, and solutions like 360-degree camera combined with BIM to reduce inspection workload. The partnership leverages INFRONEER's infrastructure expertise and Accenture's digital transformation capabilities to drive innovation in Japan's construction and infrastructure sectors.

Accenture (NYSE: ACN) has announced new personalized learning and training services from SAP, becoming one of the first global services partners to deliver SAP Learning organization's training programs. The collaboration aims to help organizations upskill and reskill employees across all levels through streamlined access to essential content and industry-recognized SAP certifications.

The training services will include scheduled instructor-led curriculum and tailored multi-disciplinary learning journeys. Participants can complete a Nanodegree program for SAP solutions through Udacity, part of Accenture LearnVantage. The initiative focuses on helping organizations make better-informed buying decisions and increase user satisfaction with SAP solutions while fostering employee loyalty.

The companies are exploring possibilities to further personalize learning journeys using LearnVantage's AI-powered platform, which offers guided learning pathways to prepare skilled talent for business growth and impact.

Accenture (NYSE: ACN) and Google Cloud are expanding their collaboration in Saudi Arabia to accelerate cloud solutions and generative AI adoption. The initiative focuses on addressing local data sovereignty needs and improving operational efficiency. According to a report by the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority with Accenture, generative AI could increase Saudi Arabia's GDP by 4%.

The companies will extend their joint Generative AI Center of Excellence (CoE) to Saudi Arabia, providing organizations with industry solutions and generative AI agents. The collaboration will leverage Google's Dammam cloud region for data security and compliance. The partnership includes training programs, hackathons, and hands-on labs to develop local talent, with access to Accenture LearnVantage for upskilling programs.

As an example of implementation, the General Organization for Social Insurance (GOSI) has already utilized generative AI capabilities to design and prototype a scalable, secure AI environment built on cloud technology.

Accenture (NYSE: ACN) has announced its agreement to acquire Staufen AG, a German management consulting firm specializing in operational excellence for manufacturing and supply chains. The acquisition will enhance Accenture's capabilities in discrete manufacturing industries, including automotive, aerospace and defense, industrial goods, and medical equipment.

Staufen brings expertise in Industry 4.0, supply chain management, and organizational change, along with data-driven tools and lean management principles. The company's team of over 200 professionals across Germany, Italy, Switzerland, the U.S., Mexico, and Brazil will join Accenture's supply chain and operations practice.

The acquisition aligns with Accenture's strategy to combine Staufen's proven expertise in operational excellence with digital technologies like AI, generative AI, and digital twins. This integration aims to help clients transform their core value chains, improve efficiency, and build resilient, autonomous systems. The transaction's terms were not disclosed and remain subject to customary closing conditions.

Repsol is expanding its Digital Program through a collaboration with Accenture (NYSE: ACN) to implement AI agent systems built on the NVIDIA AI platform. The initiative aims to accelerate and reinvent key business processes across all company areas. The partnership will deploy customized, autonomous AI agents powered by components of the Accenture AI Refinery™ platform and NVIDIA AI technology.

The implementation includes AI agents and NVIDIA Omniverse for digital twins and robotic solutions to enhance maintenance efficiency at industrial and logistics centers. The program will focus on improving process efficiency, customer experience through personalized offerings, and employee training in new technologies. This extension of Repsol's Digital Program builds upon their two-year work at their Generative AI Competence Center.

BCC Iccrea Group, Italy's largest cooperative banking group, and Accenture (NYSE: ACN) have formed a partnership to support BCC's IT transformation. The agreement includes Accenture acquiring an equity stake in BCC Sistemi Informatici and is part of a broader IT reinvention plan with an investment of over €300 million over the next three years.

The transformation aims to enhance services for 114 BCC member banks and subsidiaries, focusing on modernizing core banking applications, expanding digital channels, and accelerating AI strategy. The partnership specifically targets digital platforms, core systems, and data platform improvements. Accenture will also contribute to improving infrastructure and developing a new service model for enhanced security and resilience.

Workera, an AI-powered skills intelligence platform, announced a strategic investment from Accenture (NYSE: ACN). The partnership includes a reseller collaboration and technology integration, establishing Workera as the official skills intelligence layer within Accenture's LearnVantage platform.

The alliance aims to address critical workforce challenges, as Accenture research shows 61% of workers worldwide will need retraining by 2027. While 94% of employees are willing to learn new skills, only 5% of organizations effectively implement reskilling at scale. This is particularly important in high-demand fields like AI, machine learning, and cloud computing, where technical skills now require updating within four years.

The collaboration builds on Accenture's April 2024 selection of Workera as a skills intelligence partner for LearnVantage, focusing on addressing the rapidly shortening half-life of technical skills.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) has made a strategic investment in QuSecure, a post-quantum cybersecurity leader founded in 2019. The partnership aims to provide comprehensive post-quantum crypto agility solutions for government agencies and private businesses.

QuSecure's QuProtect software delivers quantum security-as-a-service architecture, combining zero-trust and quantum-resilient technology to protect networks against current and future quantum threats. In 2023, Accenture and QuSecure achieved the first successful multi-orbit data communications test secured with post-quantum cryptography (PQC).

A notable implementation includes Banco Sabadell's successful project with both companies to integrate PQC technologies into their banking infrastructure. As part of the investment, QuSecure joins Accenture Ventures' Project Spotlight program, gaining access to Accenture's expertise and enterprise clients.

Telstra and Accenture (NYSE: ACN) have announced a proposed seven-year joint venture to accelerate Telstra's data and AI initiatives. The JV would be 60% owned by Accenture and 40% by Telstra, combining specialists from both companies' Data & AI teams. Telstra would gain access to Accenture's $3 billion AI investment portfolio and Silicon Valley AI teams.

The venture aims to modernize Telstra's AI platforms, implement responsible AI design, and develop specialized AI tools. Key focuses include reinventing business processes through agentic AI and building workforce AI fluency. The partnership would consolidate Telstra's data and AI providers from 18 to just two JVs - Quantium Telstra and this new Accenture venture.

Telstra's core Data & AI workforce in Australia and India would be offered positions in the JV, with guaranteed roles at Telstra after the seven-year term. The deal is subject to consultation with Telstra's employees and unions.