Accenture Establishes AI Center in Tokyo to Increase AI Applications Adoption

The center will collaborate with University of Tsukuba in talent development, joint research, and ecosystem building

TOKYO; Oct. 8, 2020 – Accenture (NYSE: ACN) has announced the opening of an AI Center in Minato-ku, Tokyo that brings together the company’s extensive knowledge, cutting-edge technology, and experienced professionals in the field of artificial intelligence to better support clients in the utilization of the latest and most advanced AI. The AI Center will collaborate with the University of Tsukuba’s Center for Artificial Intelligence Research in talent development, joint research, and ecosystem development.

Accenture is helping clients innovate by putting digital power at the core of all services. The AI Center brings together Accenture’s expertise and, experience in artificial intelligence to enhance the efficiency and functionality of every aspect of services as shown below. As a result, clients will be able to access the latest AI services tailored to their needs quicker and easier than ever before.

At the AI Center, AI experts and data scientists participate in every stage of the consulting process, assisting in the initial customer proposal, performing realistic simulations, and quickly crafting product demonstrations. In addition, fostering collaboration between experts in various industries, the center accelerates the development and deployment of highly versatile "AI-powered" services for a wide range of clients, as well as improves the efficiency of analysis work. It will also improve the AI and analytics skills of all Accenture employees by expanding AI-related training programs and environments within the company. The AI Center will also collaborate with universities and research institutions to conduct cutting-edge AI joint research.

In particular, Accenture and the University of Tsukuba will work together to foster AI experts by sharing academic and scientific knowledge as well as experiences in AI applications. Accenture will also work together with the University to promote innovation by conducting joint research and supporting launch of AI-related startups. Furthermore, Accenture and the University will create an ecosystem that will collaborate with other organizations to conduct joint research and AI application experiments that can be applied to solve today’s social and business issues.

The activities of the AI Center will support the Accenture Innovation Hub Tokyo (AIT), where the company collaborates with clients to find innovative solutions to business challenges by adopting new technologies. The solutions and demos developed at the AI Center to respond to customer needs and market trends will further enrich the customer experience at AIT.

"While using digital technology for business development has become commonplace, bringing together AI capabilities at the AI Center allows us to drive the creation of AI-powered businesses by combining human expertise and AI’s advanced information analysis capabilities. By doing so, we aim to contribute to drive innovation for clients and solve social issues" said Dr. Gakuse Hoshina, AI Center Lead and Managing Director, Applied Intelligence Lead, Japan, Accenture.

"With this collaboration, we will be able to combine the academic knowledge of the University of Tsukuba with the practical AI capabilities that Accenture has cultivated at business sites in Japan and overseas," said Dr. Tetsuya Sakurai, Director of the Center for Artificial Intelligence Research at the University of Tsukuba. "We hope that this will contribute to the resolution of problems faced by Tsukuba and other local communities, as well as throughout Japan.”

About Accenture
Accenture is a leading global professional services company, providing a broad range of services in strategy and consulting, interactive, technology and operations, with digital capabilities across all of these services. We combine unmatched experience and specialized capabilities across more than 40 industries — powered by the world’s largest network of Advanced Technology and Intelligent Operations centers. With 506,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries, Accenture brings continuous innovation to help clients improve their performance and create lasting value across their enterprises. Visit us at www.accenture.com

Contact:
Kazumi Yamada and Junko Yoshino
Accenture Japan
+81-45-330-7157
Accenture.jp.media@accenture.com