In data analytics, artificial intelligence (AI) has long proven its value to manufacturers. From new insights on purchasing trends and equipment downtime to preventative maintenance, the application of AI for data analytics has become an integral tool for industry.
And while many questions still surround the potential value of generative AI (genAI) in industry, the proliferation of AI copilot applications from automation technology providers points to a growing future for genAI in industry too. With these copilots, plant floor workers can ask the genAI copilot questions and get quick answers to help them execute tasks precisely with company-vetted guidance.
Further underscoring the potential for genAI in manufacturing is the recent partnership between Accenture and Nvidia to form the new Nvidia Business Group. This new group is being developed to “help the world’s enterprises rapidly scale their AI adoption,” according to Accenture and Nvidia.
In its release announcing the Nvidia Business Group, the companies state this group will “help clients lay the foundation for agentic AI functionality using Accenture’s AI Refinery, which uses the full Nvidia AI stack—including Nvidia AI Foundry, Nvidia AI Enterprise and Nvidia Omniverse—to advance areas such as process reinvention and AI-powered simulation.”
Accenture cites $3 billion in genAI-related business bookings in the company’s most recently completed fiscal year as a prime driver of this new partnership.
Nvidia and Accenture point to the prominence of this new group by noting it will be “supported by more than 30,000 professionals receiving training globally to help clients reinvent processes and scale enterprise AI adoption.”
Automation World reached out to Accenture to learn more about this new group. Following is a summary of the responses we received.
Q: Can you provide specifics about what the Nvidia Business Group services will provide to the manufacturing industries?
Accenture: AI-powered simulation reinvention, enabled by Nvidia Omniverse, combines Nvidia’s advanced AI simulation and robot capabilities with Accenture’s industry expertise and is particularly relevant to the manufacturing industry. These simulations enable businesses to test, optimize, refine and immersively interact with products and processes virtually, significantly reducing product development times and costs. AI-powered simulation capabilities enable companies to answer what-if questions at a depth and breadth not previously achievable.
Included in these simulation capabilities are:
- Custom manufacturing automation: The integration of Nvidia’s technology with Accenture’s custom manufacturing solutions results in the creation of software-defined, robotic factories that leverage AI-powered simulations. This combination allows businesses to automate and optimize their manufacturing processes, implement ongoing support, and drive continuous process improvement and serve as testing grounds for AI and robotics, allowing developers to train and test autonomous systems in physically accurate digital environments.
- Integration with physical systems: AI-powered simulation integrates digital twins with physical systems, enabling real-time monitoring, continuous optimization and support of manufacturing processes. By connecting digital twins to operational systems and production data, teams can remotely manage operations to identify, analyze and resolve issues. This integration is particularly valuable for greenfield projects, where complete end-to-end transformation is required based on consumer expectations, simulation and process optimization.
- Enhanced competitiveness through digitalization: By enabling the digitalization and optimization of manufacturing processes, AI-powered simulation reduces product development times by up to six months. This capability breaks down silos in business processes, leading to faster product launches, lower costs and increased competitiveness in the market.
- Unique market positioning: Accenture’s ownership of 1.5 million square feet of manufacturing space and the deployment of Omniverse technologies in its facilities highlight a unique market position, combining digital and physical solutions in manufacturing. Unlike competitors, Accenture integrates both digital twin deployment practices and physical production capabilities, providing a holistic solution for manufacturing clients.
Q: Are the 30,000 trainees new hires or from other areas of Accenture?
Accenture: We are launching an Nvidia technology foundation and sales training for over 30,000 people inside Accenture. This initiative will bring awareness to the full stack capabilities of Nvidia and highlight its NIMs (microservices designed for secure, reliable deployment of high-performance AI model inference across clouds, data centers and workstations), Omniverse and network acceleration technologies. For this training, Accenture is using its new training platform called LearnVantage, which is based on its recent acquisition of the Udacity training platform. Additionally, Accenture is creating a role and skill-specific competency matrix tailored to Nvidia technologies to map the right enablement assets and build out the plan.
Q: When will Accenture’s Nvidia Business Group services be available?
Accenture: These services from the Accenture Nvidia Business Group are now available for clients. We’re already helping clients adopt and scale agentic AI systems.
Accenture noted that it will implement these new capabilities internally at Eclipse Automation, an Accenture-owned manufacturing automation company.
Read more Automation World coverage of Nvidia technologies related to industrial automation:
