Accenture has signed an agreement to acquire a 65% majority stake in DLB Associates, a U.S.-based AI data center engineering and consulting firm, in a move aimed at significantly expanding its capital projects and data center development capabilities. The transaction is designed to help software, platform, and high-tech clients accelerate time to market as global demand for AI-enabled infrastructure continues to surge.
Founded in 1980, DLB is recognized for its expertise across the full data center lifecycle, including site selection, due diligence, design engineering, commissioning, construction quality management, and energy optimization. The firm has worked with leading hyperscalers, emerging hyperscalers, neo-cloud providers, and colocation operators, supporting rapid deployment and reliable performance through an integrated development approach.
Upon closing, approximately 620 DLB employees, led by David Quirk and Neil Chauhan, will join Accenture’s Industry X practice, strengthening its infrastructure and capital projects capabilities across the Americas.
“As AI-driven demand for data center capacity accelerates, our clients increasingly face infrastructure constraints that impact their core value chains,” said Julie Sweet, chair and CEO, Accenture. “Along with DLB's deep expertise, Accenture will offer an end-to-end capability from the earliest stages of conceptual design and strategic site development through to advanced engineering, rapid deployment, and operational performance. This approach will ensure our clients can meet the ever-increasing demands of AI with speed, scale and reliability.”
DLB has also played a key role in shaping industry standards, including co-founding ASHRAE Technical Committee TC9.9, which focuses on mission-critical data center requirements.
“The data center industry is experiencing significant growth amid an unprecedented push for scaling and DLB is at the forefront of helping clients quickly navigate every stage of the development lifecycle,“ said David Quirk, CEO, DLB. “We selected Accenture to unleash our ability to match that scale and help support clients through value creation and joint ideation for next generation AI data center—at pace.”
Neil Chauhan, chief innovation officer of DLB, emphasized the urgency facing the sector. “We are experiencing accelerating momentum in the data center industry,” he said. “Fueled by the promise of an AI-driven future, there is a collective focus and urgency to quickly provide and deploy compute at scale. Together DLB and Accenture will be well positioned to deliver on the ambitious build programs of hyperscalers, emerging hyperscalers, neo-clouds and colocation providers.”
Accenture executives highlighted the strategic value of combining DLB’s technical specialization with Accenture’s global scale and delivery capabilities.
“We are entering a new era where companies need AI-ready infrastructure that’s built rapidly, efficiently, reliably and at scale,” said Manish Sharma, chief strategy and services officer, Accenture. “Our clients are facing challenges as they execute on their scale ambitions and look to us to help them with site planning and selection, managing staffing shortages, ensuring sustainability, and protecting against cybersecurity risks. By pairing DLB’s data center services expertise with Accenture’s global reach and strengths across supply chain, procurement, construction management and technology, we plan to address client demand for more value and innovation.”
The acquisition further strengthens Accenture’s growing infrastructure and capital projects portfolio, which has expanded rapidly since 2023 through acquisitions including Anser Advisory, Comtech, Soben, BOSLAN, Partners in Performance, IQT Group, and Orlade. Financial terms of the DLB transaction were not disclosed, and closing remains subject to customary regulatory approvals.
Originally reported by News Room.
