Strategic collaborations between tech and consulting companies have become the driving force behind industry transformation, with data and artificial intelligence reigning supreme.

An alliance between Teradata Corp. and Accenture PLC is set to not only unlock unparalleled business opportunities, but also chart a responsible path toward AI adoption, according to Sriram Anand (pictured, right), North America market lead for data and AI and global practice head of delivery and operations for data and analytics at Accenture. At the Teradata’s “Possible” event, the two industry heavyweights took center stage to shed light on their unique partnership.

“A lot of the conversations now are educational, helping customers understand where can they do it in a reliable way and really getting them to reality on what their capabilities are and what it’s going to take for them to get there,” Anand said. “That’s where we use our ecosystem partnerships to give them that best possible lens and the most optimal way to migrate to get achieving that.”

Anand was joined by Jordy Almgren (left), executive vice president of the Americas at Teradata Corp., as they spoke with theCUBE industry analysts Rob Strechay and Rebecca Knight at Possible 2023, during an exclusive broadcast on theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s livestreaming studio. They discussed the intricacies of the two companies’ collaboration, exploring the synergy between these corporations and dissecting their approach to ensuring the ethical and responsible utilization of AI technologies in a world where the future hinges on data-driven decisions. (* Disclosure below.)

A synergistic partnership

Teradata, a 40-year-old organization, and Accenture, a global consultancy with a presence in over 50 countries, might seem like unlikely partners, but their partnership is deeply rooted in a shared vision, according to Anand. Teradata’s robust platform for customer analytics, developed long before the advent of cloud computing, is now being enhanced with a suite of products designed to facilitate the transition to the cloud. In parallel, Accenture has made a substantial commitment to AI, with a $3 billion investment aimed at helping clients reinvent their AI capabilities.

This convergence of objectives has made their partnership both timely and essential, according to Almgren.

“A couple of key differentiators to this partnership that I’d highlight: One is we needed to make sure that the partnerships that we were nurturing had the same global reach and scale that we have as an organization,” he said. “The other side is the concept of customers or client centricity and that cultural philosophy for the respective teams is just such an important aspect of how we want to go to market together.”

While the Teradata-Accenture partnership opens up exciting possibilities, it also raises pertinent questions about the responsible use of AI. AI is the destination, but data is the enabler, Anand pointed out. AI’s transformative potential can only be realized if the foundational data is of high quality and integrity. Building AI on inconsistent or unreliable data can lead to erroneous results, which can be costly and damaging, he added.

“You cannot build AI in a comprehensive way without fixing your data foundation,” he said. “AI is a conversation that we have with the customers on how can they get to AI. Helping them migrate to take advantage of AI is a huge journey.”

Here’s the complete video interview, part of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s coverage of Possible 2023:

(* Disclosure: Accenture PLC sponsored this segment of theCUBE. Neither Accenture nor other sponsors have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)

Photo: SiliconANGLE