Telstra and Accenture announce global AI joint venture

Telstra and Accenture have announced a proposed global artificial intelligence (AI) joint venture (JV).

It is aimed at accelerating Telstra's AI roadmap, improving customer experience, and boosting operational efficiency. The seven-year JV is subject to consultation with Telstra’s employees and unions.

Under the agreement, Accenture will own 60 per cent of the JV, while Telstra will hold a 40 per cent stake.

Despite this, Telstra will maintain control over its data and AI strategy and roadmap.

The JV will bring together specialists from both Telstra and Accenture’s Data and AI teams, to develop a world-class data and AI ecosystem, the two companies said.

This while modernising existing data and AI platforms and embedding the technology by design.

A key focus of the JV will be to reinvent business processes through new AI capabilities like agentic AI, enabling teams to optimise key tasks.

It will also aim to support teams to work smarter and faster, improve data and AI fluency, and accelerate innovation in AI technologies.

The JV will leverage Accenture’s global expertise to scale AI responsibly, and aims to help Telstra deliver seamless connectivity and better customer experiences.

Telstra CEO Vicki Brady said the partnership has already seen several successful AI implementations, including the use of generative AI tools like Ask Telstra and One Sentence Summary.

The partnership comes as Telstra looks to consolidate its vendor support from 18 data and AI providers down to two JVs.

This streamlining will drive deeper strategic partnership, shared accountability, and enable further acceleration in data and AI.

The strategic move follows Telstra’s Software Engineering and IT division consolidating its partners last year from 400 to two strategic partners, streamlining operations, reducing complexity and improving efficiencies.

The JV is expected to become more efficient and will accelerate the delivery of Telstra’s data and AI roadmap.

Accenture chair and chief executive Julie Sweet said that they are "entering a new era of AI-driven reinvention", and that leading companies are embracing agentic AI to reinvent themselves. Accenture also sees the venture as a way to "drive productivity and growth.".

Accenture is investing $3 billion in AI assets, industry solutions, talent, and ecosystem partnerships, with access to the latest innovations in AI technologies and AI talent in Silicon Valley.

In August last year, Telstra partnered with Microsoft to deploy 21,000 generative AI licences; at the same time, Microsoft agreed to buy capacity on the telco's Intercity Fibre Network to extend its AI infrastructure in Australia.