Capgemini and Databricks partnership – multi-cloud Spark delivery at scale

The next frontier of AI has arrived, and Capgemini is leading the charge with our newest partner, Databricks. It’s undeniable that the power of Databricks’ Unified Analytics Platform, born in the cloud, built on top of Apache Spark^TM, is the perfect addition to Capgemini’s Modern Digital Estate for AI. The partnership was formalized in June, making Capgemini one of the first global systems integrators to partner strategically with Databricks.

Capgemini’s leadership team was eager to join some 4,000 Apache Spark and machine-learning enthusiasts at the Spark + AI Summit. Our top AI and cognitive leaders arrived at the Moscone Center and were immediately swept into the energy and liveliness of the conference. Accelerating innovation by unifying data and AI technologies and unifying data-science and data-engineering organizations – this categorical theme of breaking down silos was present everywhere and resonated closely with the Capgemini team.

The onsite team from Capgemini included

• Anne-Laure Thieullent – VP, global leader for Artificial Intelligence
• Steve Jones – VP, global leader for AI Engineering
• Goutham Belliappa – VP, AI & Big Data North America
• Mansoor Aleem – Spark COE leader
• Jin Chung – delivery architect, Spark COE

Over the three-day event, the Capgemini team met with a host of leaders from Databricks and started putting stakes in the ground on our joint priorities. Capgemini had already anticipated months ago that Databricks would be a game changer in AI, ML, and big data on the cloud. To Capgemini, Databricks represents a turning point leapfrogging from on-premises, big-data solutions struggling to adapt to the cloud and moving to Data Bricks cloud native technology that is available as a first party service on Capgemini’s go-to partners for AI – Azure and AWS.

Capgemini’s leadership team met with Ali Ghodsi, Databricks CEO and Michael Hoff, VP of Business Development, and committed to:

1. An aggressive enablement plan
2. Joint account planning activities.

Capgemini is investing significantly in the partnership with a commitment to train over 150 resources on Spark-based AI engineering and another 50 data scientists and machine-learning engineers on Databricks with a focus on our two key AI priorities – low-format/high-speed object recognition and complex recommendation engines.  Capgemini is also setting up a dedicated Databricks Tiger Team of key architects to enable success for initiation-stage and mid-stage Databricks projects.

Although Capgemini and Databricks have been working side by side solving big problems for several clients in CPG, Insurance, Hospitality and others, the relationship only intensified at the Spark + AI Summit as our two companies got to know each other more and formalized the partnership. Our joint synergy comes from our obsessions for customers success (read our blog on “Maniacal focus on delivery for AI”).  With customer success as our key foundation, this partnership is beginning to blossom.

Check us out at Microsoft Inspire next week:

• Analytics through Azure Databricks – with Lee Brown, Capgemini
• Learn how Azure Databricks is Transforming Big Data Scenarios (7/17 @ 5:00 in the Commons Theater – Theater 5)
• Accelerate Data Science, Machine Learning, and AI on Big Data (7/18 @ 2:30 in the Commons Theater – Theater 5)
• Learn how Azure Databricks is Transforming the Analytics and AI Market (7/18 @ 4:00 in the South Pacific Ballroom H)

Goutham Belliappa

Expert in Analytics, Big Data

With a passion for data and AI-driven business transformation, it is possible to achieve the highest ambitions.
I am responsible for driving AI and big-data solutions at Capgemini, with a focus on four major processes: digital customer experience, digital supply chain and logistics, digital manufacturing, and digital worker and employee. I am an advisor to senior executives on AI-based business-transformation initiatives.
I work closely with the business and technology leaders of Fortune 500 organizations to understand their business challenges and partner with them to develop the solutions they need to succeed. I am primarily focused on the manufacturing, automotive, pharmaceuticals, oil and gas, and energy and utilities sectors.
Some of my recent work includes:
Delivering over 10 cloud data and AI transformations into production on Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure
Driving AI projects around computer vision, natural language processing, cognitive services, and recommendation engines for personalization for key hospitality and retail clients
Being the infrastructure director in charge of coordinating a full-scale BSS/OSS transformation, which included application and infrastructure-management functions. I was responsible for the design of the overall solution, including the selection and procurement of hardware, software, storage, network, and data center build-out functions.
I am passionate about AI, big data, business intelligence, and analytics. I aim to provide thought leadership in these areas, and I am happy to speak and write about these topics so that others may understand the value and potential within these fields.
I have been at Capgemini since 2008. I am currently based in Atlanta, Georgia.