Accenture Invests in Confidential AI Platform OPAQUE

Accenture has strategically invested in OPAQUE, a U.S.-based provider of a confidential AI platform. This move, facilitated through Accenture Ventures, aims to address privacy and compliance challenges in AI adoption. OPAQUE's platform enables organizations to process AI workloads on encrypted data, ensuring data security while unlocking valuable insights.

In addition to this investment, Accenture also intends to embed OPAQUE’s confidential AI platform into the Accenture AI Refinery and Accenture’s Trusted Data Services. This combined offering will help enterprises scale AI innovations with confidence, ensuring increased compliance and security without compromising data utility.

OPAQUE’s technology removes common barriers to enterprise AI so that enterprises can use sensitive data without exposure risk and run AI workloads with full regulatory compliance and verifiable audit trails.

The collaboration is expected to help enterprises scale AI innovations securely, leveraging sensitive data without exposure.

OPAQUE will also participate in Accenture Ventures' Project Spotlight, an accelerator program designed to connect startups with Accenture's expertise and client network.

OPAQUE was founded in 2021 by a team of academics and researchers from the University of California, Berkeley. The company emerged from Berkeley's RISE Lab, known for its groundbreaking work in secure and intelligent systems.

The co-founders of OPAQUE include Ion Stoica, Raluca Ada Popa, Wenting Zheng, Dr. Rishabh Poddar, and Chester Leung.
One of the co-founders Dr. Rishabh Poddar completed his B.Tech. in Computer Science from IIT Kharagpur. He also gained professional experience at IBM Research, working on software-defined networks and cloud computing, and briefly explored management consulting with the Boston Consulting Group in India.

“AI is only as good as the data it learns from, but privacy concerns have held businesses back from fully using more sensitive datasets,” said Teresa Tung, global lead of Data Capability, Accenture. “OPAQUE’s confidential AI platform helps businesses deploy AI agents that operate within confidential environments while maintaining data integrity and compliance. It’s about building trust with customers and unlocking a new era where AI can operate at scale, securely and responsibly."

“The future of AI will be built on privacy and trust, and our investment in OPAQUE is a pivotal move as we recognize the immense value in confidential AI platforms,” said Tom Lounibos, global lead, Accenture Ventures. "OPAQUE’s technology aligns with our vision for responsible innovation. This investment and collaboration will boost our focus on bringing transformative solutions to market that allow businesses to harness the full power of data without compromising privacy."

This year, OPAQUE is second AI Startup receiving investment from Accenture Ventures. Earlier this month, the venture capital arm of Accenture also invested in Aaru, creators of an AI-powered prediction engine. Aaru's platform simulates consumer behavior and preferences, offering businesses precise insights for customer engagement and strategy[](