More than $1 billion is flowing into enterprise AI through an expanded EY-Microsoft partnership, with Microsoft's Forward Deployed Engineers embedding directly into client teams to deploy agentic AI at scale. The five-year investment puts Microsoft's FDE AI-native Hypervelocity Engineering model inside EY's consulting practice, combining engineers with business consultants to build secure, sector-specific AI solutions. EY called the deal an "important milestone" in its long-running alliance with Microsoft across tax, assurance, consulting and EY-Parthenon.
EY Global chair and CEO Janet Truncale said the partnership is designed to help clients "unlock value through rapid deployment of AI at scale" and "realise the major power of agentic AI within the enterprise." The initiative is anchored in EY's role as "client zero", testing Microsoft's AI stack internally before taking it to customers. EY has already rolled out Copilot to 150,000 users and reported a 15% productivity gain that it redeployed into client work and learning. The firm is expanding Copilot access via Microsoft 365 E7: The Frontier Suite to more than 400,000 people globally, embedding agentic AI tools across its own operations. Beyond Copilot, EY has modernised finance processes with Microsoft Power Platform, deployed a multi-agent framework, and applied Azure AI Document Intelligence on its Global Tax Platform.
Microsoft Commercial Business CEO Judson Althoff said the combination of Microsoft's "trusted AI platform and engineering teams" with EY's industry experience helps customers "move beyond pilots to enterprise execution." The joint services will initially focus on finance, tax, risk, human resources and supply chain functions. Target sectors include financial services, industrials and energy, consumer and retail, government and healthcare.
