Google Cloud and Accenture modernize businesses with ai.RETAIL

Google Cloud and Accenture have unveiled new initiatives to help retailers modernize their businesses and benefit from cloud technology.

Updates have been announced to Accenture’s ai.RETAIL platform, deeply integrating Google Cloud’s data analytics, AI and product discovery capabilities.

Accenture’s ai.RETAIL is an integrated solution helping retailers utilize data and AI to optimize common systems and programs, such as customer acquisition, pricing and promotions, assortment and supply chains. Retailers can now deploy the ai.RETAIL platform on Google Cloud, as the platform has been extended to Google Cloud’s infrastructure and integrated with several Google Cloud products and capabilities.

The new features and benefits of the solutions include: centralized supply chain analysis, personalized customer experiences using Google Cloud’s Discovery AI, and assortment optimization using BigQuery, Looker and Vertex AI.

Carrie Tharp, vice president of retail and consumer, Google Cloud, said: “Retailers require solutions that enable them to holistically analyze their businesses and create value across their functional boundaries, but they are often limited by siloed data and legacy infrastructure.

“Through our work with Accenture, retailers can quickly adopt integrated solutions that apply the best of Google Cloud technology and deliver the true benefits of AI and ML, with tools and capabilities that allow them to continuously optimize their businesses for today’s complex retail environment.”

Jill Standish, a senior managing director at Accenture who leads its retail industry practice, said: “Powered by cloud, these technologies can help our clients spot trends, make decisions faster and repeatedly reset the business as the market changes.”

AWS LANDS $724M CONTRACT WITH U.S. NAVY

Amazon Web Services (AWS) has been awarded a $723.9m, five-year enterprise software license contract with the United States Navy

As part of the contract, the Navy will be able to access the AWS commercial cloud environment, Professional Services, and its training and certification courses.

This contract extends AWS’ relationship with the Navy, having previously provided cloud services in June 2021 for Project Overmatch, a DevSecOps initiative to speed up secure software development.

In a statement, Liz Martin, director of defense at AWS, said: “We are proud to continue our support for the Department of the Navy and are committed to enabling their critical mission by delivering innovative, efficient, scalable and secure cloud services.”

“This collaboration with AWS will ensure that the Navy’s networks are modernized, secure and capable of providing our sailors and marines with the enterprise network architecture required for mission success,” added a Navy spokesperson.