NTT DATA Named Advisory and Integration Partner for Plug and Play's AI Centers of Excellence

Strategic partnership expands to accelerate AI innovation across key technology hubs

SUNNYVALE, Calif. — June 10, 2025 — NTT DATA, a global leader in digital business and technology services, today announced that it is now the exclusive Advisory and Integration Partner for Plug and Play's Artificial Intelligence Centers of Excellence (AI CoE). Plug and Play currently has two AI CoEs of Excellence in San Jose, California, and Seattle, Washington, as well as Enterprise & AI hubs in Sunnyvale, California; McKinney, Texas; and Calgary, Canada.

As the exclusive Advisory and Integration Partner, NTT DATA will support startups, next-gen partners and corporate partners across Plug and Play's AI CoEs and hubs through dedicated office hours, a virtual sandbox environment, innovation events and Gen AI advisory services. These initiatives aim to foster innovation, facilitate technology evaluation and accelerate AI adoption across industries.

Plug and Play is a startup accelerator facilitating connections between corporations and startups worldwide, enabling access to emerging technologies across multiple industries. The expanded partnership builds upon the strategic relationship established in June 2022 when NTT DATA joined Plug and Play's Enterprise & AI program to harness emerging technologies and collaborate with startups and next-gen partners.

"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.”

"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.”

The key components of the partnership to support AI innovation are:

• Advisory Services: NTT DATA will provide advisory services to help enterprises adopt and integrate AI and unlock new opportunities for growth and innovation.
• Office Hours: NTT DATA will establish office hours at the AI CoEs to engage with startups, next-gen partners and corporate partners. Through these sessions, NTT DATA will provide guidance on AI strategy, integration challenges and implementation best practices. This can potentially lead to new integration partnerships and client relationships.
• Virtual Sandbox Environment: NTT DATA will establish a virtual sandbox at each AI CoE, creating a secure testing ground where startups, next-gen partners and corporations can evaluate new technologies, conduct proof-of-concept projects and explore potential commercial engagements in a controlled environment.
• Innovation Events: At public and private events, NTT DATA will help bring together AI thought leaders, share best practices and review new technologies in the interest of AI innovation. The events can take many forms, including keynotes, panel sessions, startup pitches and hackathons.

About Plug and Play

Plug and Play is the leading innovation platform, connecting startups, corporations, venture capital firms, universities, and government agencies. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, we're present in 60+ locations across five continents. We offer corporate innovation programs and help our corporate partners in every stage of their innovation journey, from education to execution. We also organize startup acceleration programs and have built an in-house VC to drive innovation across multiple industries where we've invested in hundreds of successful companies including Dropbox, Guardant Health, Honey, Lending Club, N26, PayPal, and Rappi. For more information, visit https://www.plugandplaytechcenter.com/.