Google Cloud and Accenture have launched a joint unit to send engineers directly into companies to help them adopt Google’s AI tools.
The new unit
The team, called Accenture Gemini Enterprise Business Group, is Google’s latest move into the competitive field of “forward-deployed engineers,” or FDEs. Rivals such as OpenAI, Anthropic, Microsoft, and Amazon have recently created similar business units. They bet that implementing AI models will become a trillion-dollar business.
These AI companies and hyperscalers increasingly need to make that bet. They are committing hundreds of billions of dollars annually to GPUs, data centres, and power capacity. The revenue directly attributable to AI remains a fraction of that investment.
Google Cloud generated $24.8 billion in the second quarter. A large portion of that figure came from enterprise AI. The commitments behind that growth are enormous. Google’s parent company, Alphabet, reportedly accumulated $811 billion in purchase commitments and contractual obligations as of June 30.
This return on investment is not yet materialising for investors. Everything depends on whether AI companies can create enough demand for their services. That demand is not guaranteed because enterprises struggle to see a true return on their AI spending.
It is conventionally held that businesses lack the expertise to integrate AI tools into workflows in a way that saves money and increases profit in the long run. FDEs act as a steady, guiding hand. They are supposed to possess the mental cocktail of business acumen and agentic AI prowess needed to change operations.
As part of the deal with Accenture, Google will train up to 1,000 of the consultancy firm’s FDEs. These engineers will work with enterprises to build custom AI applications on the Gemini Enterprise platform.
Data from Ramp in August shows Google accounts for roughly 6% of enterprise AI spending among US businesses. Anthropic holds 43.5% and OpenAI holds 39.7%. Google’s new unit with Accenture, first reported by The Wall Street Journal, is the latest aggressive expansion of its FDE model this year. It aims to resolve enterprise deployment bottlenecks and catch up to rivals.
Earlier this year, Google Cloud launched a $750 million partner ecosystem commitment. This embedded Google’s own FDEs across multiple consultancies, including Capgemini, Cognizant, and Deloitte. The tech giant also struck a multi-year partnership with CVC Capital Partners to deploy FDEs directly into the investment firm’s portfolio companies.
Google is not the only giant at risk of being outpaced by newer firms. Companies dedicated specifically to embedding engineers into businesses to build bespoke AI workflows threaten big consultancy firms like Accenture. Examples include Ode with Anthropic and OpenAI’s The Deployment Co.
For Accenture, the Google tie-up adds to its own wave of FDE programs this year. These include a similar Microsoft FDE practice in March, an FDE initiative with ServiceNow in May, and a joint program with SAP in June.
What it means
For people making things, the change is practical. Instead of buying software and hoping it works, companies will hire engineers who know how to build custom applications on the Gemini Enterprise platform. This approach targets the gap between buying AI and actually using it to save money or make more.
