Accenture and the US-based AI data center engineering and consulting firm DLB Associates and its subsidiary businesses (collectively, “DLB”) reached a deal for Accenture to purchase a majority (65%) ownership in DLB Associates.
The deal will increase Accenture’s end-to-end data center capabilities to help high-tech customers and software and platforms satisfy demand for AI enablement and expedite time to market.
DLB, dealing in data center site selection, due diligence, design engineering, commissioning, construction quality control, and energy optimization services, was established in 1980.
As a reliable partner to some of the biggest and most inventive hyperscalers, as well as up-and-coming hyperscalers, neo-clouds, and colocation providers, DLB uses a creative, original, and all-encompassing approach to assist clients achieve successful results and accelerate time to market.
After the deal closes, close to 620 workers at DLB, under the direction of David Quirk and Neil Chauhan, will collaborate with Accenture’s Industry X practice to enhance its infrastructure and capital projects (I&CP) skills.
“As AI-driven demand for data center capacity accelerates, our clients increasingly face infrastructure constraints that impact their core value chains.”
said Julie Sweet, Chair and CEO, Accenture.
“Along with DLB’s deep expertise, Accenture will offer an end-to-end capability from the earliest stages of conceptual design and strategic site development through to advanced engineering, rapid deployment, and operational performance. This approach will ensure our clients can meet the ever-increasing demands of AI with speed, scale, and reliability.”
The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Technical Committee TC9.9, which focuses on mission-critical features for data centers, was co-founded by DLB as part of its assistance for the creation of industry standards for data centers.
“The data center industry is experiencing significant growth amid an unprecedented push for scaling, and DLB is at the forefront of helping clients quickly navigate every stage of the development lifecycle.”
said David Quirk, CEO, DLB.
“We selected Accenture to unleash our ability to match that scale and help support clients through value creation and joint ideation for next-generation AI data center, at pace.”
“We are experiencing accelerating momentum in the data center industry,”
said Neil Chauhan, Chief Innovation Officer, DLB.
“Fueled by the promise of an AI-driven future, there is a collective focus and urgency to quickly provide and deploy compute at scale. Together, DLB and Accenture will be well positioned to deliver on the ambitious build programs of hyperscalers, emerging hyperscalers, neo-clouds, and colocation providers.”