PARIS — In a strategic move aimed at advancing the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into their operations, Google Cloud and Orange have announced an expansion of their collaboration. This partnership will see the deployment of cutting-edge AI solutions, including gen AI, closer to Orange’s operations and its vast customer base, according to a press release published on EuropaWire.

The cornerstone of this collaboration is the utilization of Google Distributed Cloud (GDC), a fully managed hardware and software solution designed to extend the capabilities of Google’s AI services to various environments including Edge, air-gapped environments, Google Clouds, and Cross-Cloud. This deployment allows Orange to address local requirements for cloud environments while accelerating AI adoption and reaping benefits for its customers.

Orange, a global telecommunications leader serving 26 countries, is focusing on three key areas with AI integration:

1. Smarter Networks: GDC provides Orange with the capability to run sensitive network data and AI workloads locally or on-premise, meeting regulatory requirements in various countries. This empowers Orange to enhance network planning and design through automation, leading to significant improvements in capacity planning and root cause analysis.

2. Operational Efficiency: With the ability to run gen AI models on-premise seamlessly integrated with Vertex AI services on Google Cloud, Orange can optimize its operations and customer service teams. AI-powered solutions enable faster query resolutions and enhance the overall quality of service, thereby enriching customer experiences.

3. Improved Customer Experience: Leveraging AI and Google Cloud technology, Orange is poised to deliver personalized recommendations for its customers, enhancing customer lifetime value. Furthermore, the deployment of GDC enables gen AI-based speech recognition in each Orange country, even in regions without a Google Cloud presence.

Christel Heydemann, CEO of Orange, expressed the significance of this collaboration, stating, “This partnership with Google Cloud and the cutting-edge solutions announced today are foundational to Orange achieving AI at scale and is a major step towards unlocking significant value from all of our data.”

The collaboration between Google Cloud and Orange addresses the need for secure, localized cloud solutions that comply with stringent regulatory requirements while enhancing performance and reducing latency for critical workloads. Thomas Kurian, CEO of Google Cloud, highlighted the importance of bringing AI solutions closer to the edge of the network to ensure agility, responsiveness, and resilience.

Since 2020, Orange and Google Cloud have been working together to drive Orange’s digital transformation through data and AI. With 13 petabytes of data migrated to Google Cloud over the last three years and strategic use cases deployed across ten countries, this collaboration underscores the shared commitment to innovation and delivering best-in-class solutions to customers worldwide.

The extended collaboration between Google Cloud and Orange signifies a significant milestone in the integration of AI into telecommunications operations, promising enhanced efficiency, improved customer experiences, and new avenues for business growth.