October 7, 2020, Tokyo — NTT DATA Corporation, a leading IT services provider, September 16 concluded an agreement with the U.S. firm Snowflake Inc. for a capital and business alliance aimed at expanding Snowflake's business in Japan and overseas. Through this alliance, the two companies will combine NTT DATA Group's services and solutions in the AI and data utilization field with Snowflake's cloud data platform in order to strengthen the Digital Success™ Program, which provides clients with support for AI and data utilization, and accelerate the growing trend among all types of organizations for data-driven management.

Background and Objectives

NTT DATA launched its Digital Success Program in March 2020, providing clients with support to incorporate AI and data utilization in their business operations. This program aims to support digital transformation (DX) for clients by offering a data utilization platform centered on Trusted Data Foundation®¹, a cloud-based Big Data analysis platform, and iQuattro®², a base for sharing information among companies or locations, provided through an ecosystem supported in cooperation with highly competitive, global technology partners.

Snowflake takes full advantage of the characteristics of a cloud service to offer a data platform with unlimited scalability and fully metered charging in a multi-cloud structure. It has more than 3,100 corporate customers worldwide. The company established a Japanese subsidiary in November 2019, and provides services within the Japanese market.

NTT DATA and Snowflake concluded a Solution Partner Agreement in February 2020, centered on customer referrals for Snowflake. This capital and business alliance will further strengthen this cooperative relationship, and by linking NTT DATA Group's services and solutions in the AI and data utilization field with Snowflake's cloud data platform, will accelerate the trend among all types of organizations for data-driven management, both in Japan and overseas.

Content of Business Cooperation

NTT DATA and Snowflake, through this capital and business alliance, will pursue cooperation in the following areas in order to strengthen their partnership in Japan and worldwide.

1.Strengthen the data utilization platform provided by NTT DATA
NTT DATA will position Snowflake as the core technology for the data utilization field, and use Snowflake's advanced and extensive know-how in system architecture to strengthen its data utilization platform.
This will permit flexible expansion in data volume and users while also easing the maintenance and operational load resulting from such expansion, and create an environment that brings IT and business divisions together to focus on solutions for business challenges.
Further, cooperation between Snowflake and numerous other technology partners to generate solutions will allow for integration and consolidation in a cohesive fashion of numerous ICT systems, Software as a Service (SaaS) and other dispersed data, as well as access and prompt utilization for comprehensive data across a wide range of organizations, applications, and tools.

2.Establish a special structure for Snowflake supported by both companies to enhance customer support
The two companies will establish a special structure comprising AI and cloud infrastructure engineers from NTT DATA and specialists from Snowflake. This will provide an integrated, solid system to support the introduction and utilization of Snowflake services at customer companies.

3.Accelerate training and development of Snowflake engineers within NTT DATA Group
NTT DATA will continually invest in training for Snowflake engineers, and plans to increase the number of Snowflake engineers globally to 100 persons by fiscal 2021, and 250 persons by fiscal 2023.

Future Goals

NTT DATA aims to increase sales for the entire Digital Success Program, including Snowflake, to ￥30 billion by 2025.

Comments from NTTDATA

"NTT DATA supports clients' data-driven business value creation end-to-end worldwide.
Through this capital and business alliance with Snowflake, we will position Snowflake as a core technology and integrate various technologies with Snowflake to accelerate the data-driven transformation of our clients."

Kazumasa Taninaka, Head of AI&IoT Division

Comments from Snowflake

"We are pleased to be able to provide strong support for the data-driven transformation of companies by strengthening our partnership with NTT DATA both globally and in Japan.
We would like to help solve the various issues facing companies in utilizing data, such as company-wide data management and data-driven business value creation, leveraging the specialized systems of both Snowflake and NTT DATA."

Hidetoshi Tojo, Country Manager in Japan

Snowflake Inc. Company Profile

Notes
1.Trusted Data Foundation is an all-in-one solution that provides companies with a foundation for the aggregation and analysis of data assets on platforms such as AWS and Microsoft Azure.
Website: https://enterprise-aiiot.nttdata.com/tdf/ (Japanese)

2.iQuattro is a cloud-based platform service to create new information utilization value by utilizing advanced digital technologies to consolidated data dispersed among departments, business locations, or companies.
Website: https://enterprise-aiiot.nttdata.com/iquattro/ (Japanese)

*"Digital Success" is a trademark of NTT DATA Corporation in Japan.
*"Trusted Data Foundation" and "iQuattro" are registered trademarks of NTT DATA Corporation in Japan.
*Other names of products, companies, and organizations are trademarks or registered trademarks of those companies.

About NTT DATA

NTT DATA – a part of NTT Group – is a trusted global innovator of IT and business services headquartered in Tokyo. We help clients transform through consulting, industry solutions, business process services, IT modernization and managed services. NTT DATA enables clients, as well as society, to move confidently into the digital future. We are committed to our clients' long-term success and combine global reach with local client attention to serve them in over 50 countries. Visit us at nttdata.com.

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