Accenture To Buy UK AI Group Faculty In Billion Dollar Deal

Accenture Plc has agreed to acquire Faculty, a UK-based applied AI services and products company, in a deal valued at about $1 billion, as the consulting firm pushes deeper into enterprise AI delivery, decision intelligence, and model safety.

Founded in 2014, Faculty builds and deploys AI systems for public and private sector clients, with work spanning decision intelligence, simulation, and optimization. 

The company has been involved in projects across sectors such as healthcare, life sciences, and government, primarily in the UK and select international markets.

The acquisition will add more than 400 AI specialists, including data scientists and engineers, to Accenture after closing, the companies said. 

Financial terms were not disclosed, and completion is subject to regulatory approvals.

Faculty’s portfolio includes AI strategy, system development, and implementation services, as well as work related to AI governance and safety. The company has positioned itself around “safe-by-design” AI systems, focusing on issues such as bias, privacy, and model explainability. 

It has also collaborated with AI labs such as OpenAI and Anthropic, and has worked alongside institutions including the UK AI Security Institute on safety assessments for general-purpose AI models.

As part of the transaction, Faculty’s enterprise decision intelligence product, Frontier, will be integrated into Accenture’s existing technology offerings. The platform is used to connect data, AI models, and operational workflows to support complex decision-making. 

Accenture and Faculty have previously worked together on projects in the life sciences sector, including clinical trial planning and optimisation.

Faculty CEO Marc Warner will take on the role of chief technology officer at Accenture and join its Global Management Committee following the close of the deal. Warner has an academic background in quantum physics and has previously served on advisory bodies, including the UK’s AI Council.

Faculty has been involved in mission-critical deployments in the past, including the development of the UK National Health Service’s COVID-era Early Warning System, which was used to forecast patient demand and guide the allocation of critical care resources during the pandemic.

Accenture said it also plans to expand Faculty’s Fellowship Program, a training initiative designed to help PhD and postgraduate STEM researchers transition from academia into industry, beyond the UK. 

The two companies have collaborated since late 2023, when Accenture was named a preferred implementation partner for Faculty Frontier. Completion of the acquisition is expected later this year, pending regulatory clearances.