NTT DATA Forges Strategic Partnership with Databricks to Advance Data and AI Platforms

TOKYO – March 10, 2025 – NTT DATA, a global digital business and IT services leader, signed a strategic partnership agreement with Databricks Inc. (hereinafter “Databricks”) on January 22, 2025 (January 21, 2025, U.S. time).

Through this partnership, NTT DATA aims to further enhance its data and AI platforms for its customers. Leveraging Databricks' unique ability to utilize data, conventional AI, and generative AI on a single platform, and by combining lightweight, large language models (LLM) s needed, NTT DATA aims to provide AI agents that can perform tasks closer to human capabilities.　In addition, through a specialized training program provided by Databricks, NTT DATA plans to increase the number of its engineers proficient in the "Data Intelligence Platform" to 500 by FY2027. The partnership will also strengthen collaboration to streamline the entire process from identifying business opportunities to developing client proposals, while promoting joint sales efforts by both companies.

NTT DATA aims to expand its Databricks-related business revenue to $200 million over the next five years. By combining the strengths of both companies and working closely with customers, the partnership will promote the "democratization of data and AI."

Background and Objectives

NTT DATA's corporate philosophy is to "create new systems and value through information technology and realize a richer and more harmonious society." We contribute to the development of our customers' businesses and society by creating "systems" that fully utilize IT in collaboration with our customers and then we pursue continuous improvement after implementation. NTT DATA is actively investing in M&A both in Japan and overseas to strengthen our consulting, digital technology and system development capabilities as well as expand our assets and further grow our business in Japan.

The digital age has heightened the importance of data. Until now, companies have pursued data-driven decision-making by using AI models built from widely available data to analyze and forecast market trends. However, by combining the extensive general knowledge of generative AI (general intelligence) with proprietary corporate data, it is now possible to achieve more advanced "data intelligence." Strategic use of this data intelligence potentially enables sustained growth in rapidly changing markets.

Databricks’ "Data Intelligence Platform" is an open, integrated platform that combines the strengths of data warehouses and data lakes to advance the use of data and AI. The platform excels in processing large, petabyte-scale datasets and performing real-time AI inference, as well as simplifying the lifecycle of data management and machine learning models. This allows customers to quickly and effectively leverage all types of data using business intelligence (BI) tools and AI.

Since signing a partnership agreement with Databricks in May 2021, NTT DATA has provided data and AI platforms to numerous client companies¹. In January 2025, NTT DATA launched technical development and services to implement its generative AI concept, Smart AI AgentTM ². With this new strategic partnership, NTT DATA aims to further integrate its data analytics and generative AI services with Databricks' "Data Intelligence Platform."

Strategic Partnership Details

NTT DATA and Databricks entered into a strategic partnership agreement on January 22, 2025 (January 21, 2025 (U.S. time). Through this partnership, the two companies aim to enhance collaboration in Japan and globally by advancing the following initiatives:

(1) Strengthening Data and AI Platforms

With technical support from Databricks, NTT DATA will further enhance its data and AI services. By leveraging Databricks’ ability to integrate data, conventional AI, and generative AI on a single platform, NTT DATA is expanding its capabilities in data processing and AI-driven solutions. The platform enables the strategic combination of various tools and task-specific models, including conventional AI models for specialized functions, open-source software (OSS), "tsuzumi" (a customizable lightweight LLM developed by Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT)), and large-scale SaaS-based LLM with extensive knowledge. This approach enables NTT DATA to deliver AI agents capable of performing more human-like tasks, such as generating client proposal documents based on customer information stored in the "Data Intelligence Platform." Through these AI agents, NTT DATA can co-create new business value with its customers.

(2) Accelerating Talent Development

NTT DATA will promote the development of engineers across the group with expertise in Databricks’ "Data Intelligence platform," through specialized training programs provided by Databricks. In addition, the company will use these programs to cultivate technical trainers within NTT DATA and aim to expand the pool of these trained engineers to 500 by FY2027.

(3) Enhancing Sales and Proposal Processes

NTT DATA will strengthen its alliance with Databricks in both technical support and sales for data and AI platform-related businesses. In particular, the two companies will enhance their collaborative framework to streamline processes from identifying business opportunities to developing client proposals, enabling joint efforts to deliver proposals to customers.

Databricks Company Overview

1. Company Name: Databricks Inc.
2. Business Description: Provider of data and AI platforms
3. Established: 2013
4. Headquarters: San Francisco, California, USA
5. Representative Director: Ali Ghodsi, Co-Founder and CEO
6. Number of Employees: Over 8,000 (as of January 2025)

Future Outlook

Through this strategic partnership, NTT DATA aims to expand revenue from Databricks-related business activities to approximately $200 million over the next five years. Additionally, by combining the strengths of both companies and working closely with customers, the partnership will promote the "democratization of data and AI."

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