Publicis Sapient Announces Launch of PS Hummingbird, a New Joint Venture With Tquila, Expanding Its Generative AI and Cloud Capabilities With Microsoft

Publicis Sapient, a digital business transformation company, today announced the launch of a new joint venture with Tquila called PS Hummingbird. This partnership with Tquila, with whom Publicis Sapient has collaborated on several other ventures, will extend Publicis Sapient’s generative AI offerings powered by Microsoft Azure, Microsoft Copilots, Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Microsoft Power Platform. This strategic joint venture, on the heels of Publicis Sapient’s recent acquisitions of Practia, Corra and Publicis Sapient AI Labs, is designed to further build Publicis Sapient’s core AI capabilities and practices.

PS Hummingbird will operate as an independent entity, supporting Publicis Sapient's clients while also serving its own client base.  PS Hummingbird offers end-to-end services, including strategy and planning, user experience and process design, data analysis, implementation, testing, training and ongoing support. Leveraging Microsoft Copilots, the venture brings the latest AI breakthroughs to every line of business and unlocks tailored AI-powered solutions for businesses across major functions in sales, service, marketing, supply chain and finance. By integrating business process data into Microsoft Fabric, PS Hummingbird will enable organizations to get their enterprise data ready for generative AI, and create bespoke solutions that use Azure Open AI Service to help clients realize operational efficiencies.

"We are very excited about the launch of PS Hummingbird, which will allow us to continue to deliver innovative cloud and AI solutions to our clients across our SPEED – Strategy, Product, Experience, Engineering and Data & AI – capabilities and help them achieve an operational competitive advantage. This joint venture combines our AI expertise with Tquila's capabilities to bring increased value to our clients,” said Nigel Vaz, CEO of Publicis Sapient. “PS Hummingbird will enable us to harness the power of Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Microsoft Power Platform, along with the transformative potential of generative AI, and strengthen our position as a trusted partner to our clients in their digital business transformation journey."

James McHugh, Chairman of tquila, said, "This is now the fourth Build Operate Transfer we’ve partnered with Publicis Sapient on and we’re excited to embark on this journey.  PS Hummingbird is the most ambitious project to date.  The Tquila team is committed to working with all stakeholders to attract and develop the best talent in the market so, together, we build a market-leading, best-in-class generative AI business.“

"Customer demand for end-to-end AI-powered services and solutions continues to increase, and we’re excited that PS Hummingbird will deliver innovative generative AI solutions built on the Microsoft Cloud,” said Kelly Rogan, CVP, Global System Integrators and Advisory Partners at Microsoft. “Publicis Sapient's increased Microsoft Cloud and AI capabilities will empower customers and enhance our alliance."

Publicis Sapient is a strategic global Microsoft Cloud Solutions Partner with multiple advanced specializations in AI/ML and App Migration. For over ten years, Publicis Sapient has combined digital business strategy, customer experience, marketing modernization and data & AI expertise with Microsoft's cloud and enterprise solutions to generate value for clients across industries.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 stands as the fastest-growing Microsoft Cloud technology stack, projected to grow by 45%^[1]until 2025 and expected to generate an estimated $100 billion in consulting services^[2]. The potential in this market is immense, yet the lack of technical expertise often hampers progress.  PS Hummingbird aims to bridge this gap, providing expert services directly to its clients and supporting Publicis Sapient's existing customer base.

Publicis Sapient was recently named a Market Leader in HFS Research’s Horizons Report for Generative Enterprise Services 2023 for applying generative AI to amplify digital business transformation for enhanced growth in business model innovation, customer experience, employee experience, and enterprise enablement. HFS recognized Publicis Sapient for key strengths and differentiators, including transforming the future of Gen AI with its SPEED (Strategy, Product, Experience, Engineering and Data & AI) capabilities and innovation.

[1] FY22 Q2, Microsoft earnings report, January 2022

[2] Microsoft Dynamics 365 Blog, July 2020

Publicis Groupe [Euronext Paris FR0000130577, CAC 40] is a global leader in communication. The Groupe is positioned at every step of the value chain, from consulting to execution, combining marketing transformation and digital business transformation. Publicis Groupe is a privileged partner in its clients’ transformation to enhance personalization at scale. The Groupe relies on ten expertise concentrated within four main activities: Communication, Media, Data and Technology. Through a unified and fluid organization, its clients have a facilitated access to all its expertise in every market. Present in over 100 countries, Publicis Groupe employs around 101,000 professionals.

Publicis Sapient is a technology company that provides enterprise AI platforms and services. With over 30 years of digital business transformation experience, we enable enterprise clients to transform how they operate and serve their customers, unlocking new value and enabling them to thrive in an AI-driven world. Our platforms Sapient Slingshot, Sapient Bodhi and Sapient Sustain use AI built off this deep enterprise context to help organizations modernize their legacy tech systems, build agentic solutions, and automate their IT operations. The combination of our AI platforms and the expertise of our people enables us to deliver faster and more effective outcomes through solutions that are specific to the unique needs of our clients’ businesses, their industries and their customers. Publicis Sapient is the technology hub of Publicis Groupe, uniting 20,000 people worldwide across 28 countries. For more information, visit publicissapient.com.

Tquila is a global technology venture company founded by James McHugh in 2010. It has built a thriving portfolio of technology service businesses by combining investment with expertise across growth, talent, and operations.  It invests in companies from start-up through to post-series A, either as stand-alone entities or with co-investment from consulting firms and software companies. For more information, visit tquila.com.