Business
Accenture Launches Microsoft Forward Deployed Engineering Practice to Help Organizations Scale AI Across the Enterprise
NEW YORK, March 18, 2026--Accenture is collaborating with Microsoft to launch a forward deployed engineering (FDE) practice.
About this update from Accenture Plc
[{"type":"text","content":"AI-first, industry-aligned practice to accelerate frontier transformation powered by Microsoft AI","length":97,"tagName":"p","attribs":{}},{"type":"text","content":"NEW YORK, March 18, 2026--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Accenture (NYSE: ACN) is collaborating with Microsoft to launch a forward deployed engineering (FDE) practice, designed to help organizations more rapidly design, build, and operationalize AI across the enterprise.","length":257,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":"Most enterprise AI initiatives stall not for lack of technology, but for lack of the right engineering expertise applied in the right place. Through the new practice, Accenture and Microsoft will bring together thousands of AI-skilled engineers to work directly with clients—pairing Microsoft's frontier AI capabilities with Accenture's deep industry and workflow experience to help break through barriers and deliver outcomes at scale.","length":444,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":""AI value does not come from technology access but from the ability to convert it into sustained business impact," said Manish Sharma, chief strategy and services officer at Accenture. "Enterprise AI succeeds when strategy and engineering operate as one. This collaboration with Microsoft establishes a new model that puts engineers at the center of AI transformation—one that moves from ambition to measurable outcomes at enterprise scale."","length":461,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":""What customers are asking us for is a clear path to business outcomes powered by AI," said Nick Parker, executive vice president and chief business officer, Microsoft. "Microsoft’s end-to-end AI platform for both intelligence and trust combined with Accenture’s industry expertise will enable the FDE crews to quickly create the highest quality outcomes for customers."","length":390,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":"Together, the companies will work shoulder-to-shoulder with clients to help take AI from idea to production in days, not months. Microsoft will provide the platform and technology innovation, while Accenture leads change management, process redesign, industry workflows and global deployment at scale. Joint teams will co-innovate directly with clients using Microsoft's Frontier Suite of products, and proven accelerators to...