BrazilAccenture opens the doors to its latest innovation hub in Shenzhen
Global professional services firm Accenture has opened its third Innovation Hub in Asia, with Shenzhen joining Tokyo and Singapore.
First announced toward the end of last year, global tech consulting and professional services giant Accenture has opened the doors to a new Innovation Hub in Shenzhen, its first in China and third in Asia following earlier roll-outs in Tokyo and Singapore. The Shenzhen centre will focus on advanced applied research and development in areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), robotics and Industry 4.0 – allowing local clients to accelerate their innovations at scale.
“As the newest member of our global Labs network, the Accenture Lab in Shenzhen focuses on applying disruptive technologies in unique ways,” said Marc Carrel-Billiard, global senior managing director of Accenture Labs. “The pioneering R&D innovations we are building at the Lab will tap into the tremendous technology innovation and ecosystem in the region and be applied to create new growth for our clients in China.”
As stated by the firm, the initial focus of the Accenture Lab in Shenzhen will be applying in-depth research related to AI, immersive technologies, and robotics to transform the way products are designed, manufactured and experienced by users “Emerging technologies led by AI and robotics will drive the next wave of technological and industrial transformation,” said Jin Jia, Accenture managing director and Greater China Technology lead.
Located in the high-tech industrial park of the Shenzhen Economic Zone, clients from across industries will be able to visit the hub and experience innovation at scale through customised visits, design thinking sessions and co-innovation workshops in what the firm says is a highly collaborative, immersive environment. It’s Accenture’s 19th such hub worldwide, and follows the opening of an intelligent operations centre in Fukuoka earlier this year.
According to the firm, the new hub will work closely with Chinese tech companies, start-ups and academic institutions to identify and develop new concepts, and brings together its Accenture Research, Accenture Labs, Accenture Ventures and Accenture Liquid Studios arms – described as integral parts of the firm’s innovation architecture in “understanding, incubating, prototyping and piloting new solutions and then scaling to capitalise on those new innovations.”
As a breakdown, Accenture Research combines industry knowledge and advanced research technologies to reveal important business trends and insights in the Chinese market, while Accenture Liquid Studios helps companies transform concepts into business solutions through rapid software application development and prototyping. Accenture Ventures, meanwhile, serves as a bridge to the global innovation ecosystem.
“Innovation is crucial to the sustained growth of all enterprises, and Shenzhen is the epicenter of innovation in the emerging Greater Bay Area,” said Wei Zhu, Chairman of Accenture Greater China. “The new Accenture Innovation Hub in Shenzhen demonstrates our strong commitment to building a more robust innovation ecosystem for our clients in Greater China and positions us to help clients apply disruptive technologies to accelerate their digital transformation journeys.”
