The global consulting giant is accelerating in artificial intelligence. After announcing a massive investment of $3 billion in this technology last July, Accenture launched an AI-powered learning platform and acquired Udacity – known for its online learning platform – to keep its newly created suite of services running smoothly. Today, the consulting firm is interested in humanoid robots powered by AI, and more particularly those developed by the start-up Sanctuary AI.
Venture capital financing
This venture capital financing carried out via its Accenture Ventures fund should help Sanctuary AI, currently in the start-up phase, move up a gear. Although we do not know the amount, we do know that the fund is the main investor in this round of funding. With these funds, the start-up based in Vancouver, Canada, intends to continue its development efforts.
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“By combining Accenture’s expertise in disruptive technologies with Sanctuary AI’s cutting-edge robotics, we can help some of the world’s largest companies navigate this change and deliver the best solutions for their clients,” said Sanctuary AI CEO Geordie Rose. The start-up will be able to work with Accenture teams and get closer to its impressive client portfolio, which serves more than three-quarters of Fortune Global 100 and Fortune Global 500 companies.
A humanoid robot to address the labor shortage
In Accenture's eyes, these robots could constitute a first response to the lack of qualified workers in certain sectors. “AI-enabled humanoid robots are essential to reinventing work and supporting human workers as labor shortages become a problem in many countries and sectors,” says Joe Lui, global head of advanced automation and robotics at Accenture.
Through its CarbonTM AI platform, which mimics subsystems found in the human brain, such as memory, sight, sound and touch, and translates natural language into real-world actions, the start-up trains its robots to react to their environment and perform new tasks precisely in a very short time. And these tasks could be varied, as Joe Lui states: “We see huge potential for their robots in mail and package, manufacturing, retail and logistics warehousing operations, where they could complement and collaborate with human workers and automate tasks that traditional robotics cannot. cannot accomplish.”
Sanctuary AI's versatile PhoenixTM robot, recently recognized as one of the “best inventions of 2023” by TIME magazine, can, in fact, perform a multitude of tasks. For example, at a Mark's clothing store in Langley, Canada, the Phoenix robot performed more than 100 tasks, including choosing and packing merchandise, as well as cleaning, labeling and correctly folding items, all with robotic hands.
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Accenture weaves its web in the field of robotics
The consulting giant is not its first investment in robotics. In early January, Accenture and Mujin, a Japanese company specializing in robotics, created a joint venture called Accenture Alpha Automation aimed at the manufacturing and logistics sectors. The joint venture is 70% owned by Accenture and 30% by Mujin. Note that in parallel with this initiative, Accenture took care to invest in the Japanese company through its venture capital fund Accenture Ventures.
Likewise, the firm has increased its acquisitions, notably Eclipse Automation in Canada and Pollux in Brazil. Sanctuary AI is the latest company to join the fund's Project Spotlight, an engagement and investment program that connects emerging technology start-ups with Accenture's Global 2000 client base.
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