Google Cloud and Accenture are joining forces to create a new business unit focused on helping enterprises adopt Google’s artificial intelligence tools and services. The initiative will place engineers within businesses to help customers implement Google’s AI technology more effectively.
The new organization, called the Accenture Gemini Enterprise Business Group, represents Google’s latest move into the increasingly competitive market for “forward-deployed engineers,” or FDEs. Other major AI companies, including OpenAI, Anthropic, Microsoft, and Amazon, have recently established their own business units around the idea that deploying and implementing AI models could eventually become a trillion-dollar industry in its own right.
It is an increasingly important bet for AI companies and hyperscalers. These companies are spending hundreds of billions of dollars each year on GPUs, data centers, and electricity capacity, even though revenue directly generated by AI remains only a portion of those massive investments.
Google Cloud reported $24.8 billion in revenue during the second quarter, with enterprise AI accounting for a significant portion of that growth. However, the financial commitments supporting the expansion are substantial. Google Cloud parent Alphabet reportedly had accumulated $811 billion in purchase commitments and contractual obligations as of June 30.
The expected return on those investments has yet to emerge at the level companies and investors require. As a result, the success of the AI boom increasingly depends on whether technology companies can generate enough demand for their services. That demand, however, is far from certain, with enterprises themselves struggling to achieve meaningful returns from their AI investments.
A common explanation is that many businesses lack the specialized expertise needed to integrate AI tools and services intelligently into their existing workflows. The goal is not simply to reduce costs, but to use AI in ways that ultimately create additional revenue and business value. FDEs are intended to provide that hands-on expertise, combining business knowledge with experience deploying increasingly capable AI agents and systems.
Under the agreement with Accenture, Google will train as many as 1,000 of the consulting firm’s FDEs to work directly with enterprises and develop customized AI applications using the Gemini Enterprise platform. A Google spokesperson said the new organization will operate under Accenture.
Data from Ramp in August showed Google accounting for approximately 6% of enterprise AI spending among the financial platform’s U.S. customers. That compares with 43.5% for Anthropic and 39.7% for OpenAI. Google noted, however, that many Ramp customers do not represent the large enterprises involved in major strategic AI agreements with Google Cloud, which extend beyond simple model API usage. Those customers include Oracle, Meta, Anthropic, and ServiceNow.
The new Accenture unit, first reported by The Wall Street Journal, is the latest step in Google’s aggressive expansion of its FDE strategy this year. The company is increasingly using the model as a way to address bottlenecks that can prevent enterprises from deploying AI effectively and to close the gap with competing AI providers.
Earlier this year, Google Cloud announced a $750 million commitment to its partner ecosystem designed to accelerate the development of agentic AI. The initiative involved embedding Google’s own FDEs within several consulting companies, including Capgemini, Cognizant, and Deloitte. Google Cloud also entered into a multiyear partnership with CVC Capital Partners to deploy FDEs directly within companies in the investment firm’s portfolio.
Google is not the only established technology giant facing pressure from newer companies. Businesses specifically focused on placing engineers inside organizations to develop customized AI workflows, such as Ode with Anthropic and OpenAI’s The Deployment Co., could also challenge large consulting firms such as Accenture.
For Accenture, the Google partnership adds to an expanding collection of FDE initiatives launched throughout the year. The consulting company introduced a similar Microsoft FDE practice in March, followed by an FDE program with ServiceNow in May and a joint initiative with SAP in June.
