NTT DATA named advisory partner for Plug & Play AI hubs

NTT DATA has become the exclusive integration and advisory partner for Plug and Play's Artificial Intelligence Centers of Excellence across several North American innovation hubs.

This partnership positions NTT DATA to provide strategic guidance and support for startups and corporates throughout Plug and Play's US innovation network, with a focus on AI strategy and implementation. The agreement extends to Plug and Play hubs located in San Jose, Seattle, Sunnyvale, McKinney, and Calgary.

Advisory role

As the sole advisory and integration partner, NTT DATA will deliver a range of support services, including office hours, a virtual sandbox environment, innovation events, and advisory on generative AI. The intention is to help Plug and Play participants test, deploy, and commercialise AI solutions, with the possibility of integrating these technologies into NTT DATA's own partner and client ecosystem.

This collaboration formalises a relationship originally established in 2022 when NTT DATA joined Plug and Play's Enterprise & AI programme. The formalisation now sees NTT DATA taking a strategic role across all Plug and Play AI Centres of Excellence, marking an expansion of their cooperation.

Plug and Play connects global corporations and startups, serving as an accelerator for emerging tech across multiple sectors. Two AI Centres of Excellence operate in San Jose, California and Seattle, Washington, while Enterprise & AI hubs exist in Sunnyvale, McKinney, and Calgary. These hubs serve as focal points for AI development and evaluation.

Engagement and services

NTT DATA's involvement will include regular advisory office hours at the AI hubs, where company experts will work directly with startups and corporates to discuss AI strategy, integration challenges, and best practices.

The agreement also provides for a virtual sandbox environment at each AI Centre of Excellence. This will offer a secure testing ground for startups and established companies to evaluate technologies, undertake proof-of-concept projects, and explore commercial opportunities. Additionally, innovation events facilitated by NTT DATA will enable the sharing of AI best practices and provide platforms such as panel sessions, keynote addresses, and startup pitch presentations.

"As AI evolves from predictive to generative to agentic capabilities, large-scale enterprise-wide deployments require combining the power and innovation of startups and next-gen partners with rapid prototyping and evaluation of new solutions," said Marv Mouchawar, Executive Vice President, Global Innovation, NTT DATA Group Corporation. "As the Advisory and Integration Partner for Plug and Play's AI Centers of Excellence, we are uniquely positioned to tap into emerging technologies of startups and next-gen partners to bring immediate value to our clients through practical AI implementation strategies."

The partnership is intended to facilitate adoption, evaluation, and the acceleration of AI deployment across industry verticals. The advisory services offered are aimed at guiding enterprises as they look to integrate new AI technologies for growth and innovation.

Plug and Play perspective

"We're excited to work with NTT DATA as they help us expand our AI Centers of Excellence," said Saeed Amidi, Founder and CEO, Plug and Play. "Our platform connects startups with enterprises to drive innovation, and NTT DATA's extensive expertise in AI and digital transformation will help our ecosystem grow."

Plug and Play operates as an interface between startups and corporates, providing corporate innovation programmes, acceleration opportunities, and access to new technologies across over 60 global locations.

Key partnership components

Among the core elements of the partnership are:

• Advisory services: Offered to enterprises focusing on AI integration and identifying opportunities for growth and innovation.
• Office hours: Regular expert sessions at AI Centres to address technical and strategic questions from startups and corporate partners.
• Virtual sandbox environment: Safe spaces for testing and demonstrating AI solutions before commercial engagement.
• Innovation events: Platforms for collaboration among AI thought leaders, with formats that include keynotes, panel discussions, pitches, and hackathons.

The collaboration is expected to support Plug and Play participants by accelerating the evaluation and adoption of AI technologies and fostering commercial opportunities for new and existing technology providers in the AI sector.