Capgemini introduced its Applied Innovation Exchange (AIE), an integral system that enables organizations to take advantage of its Applied Innovation concept; a process to rapidly and securely gain competitive advantage in today's fast-pace innovation market landscape, by compressing the cycle time from the discovery to deployment of innovation. Capgemini's AIE currently includes a global network of nine innovation spaces, known as 'Exchanges', where organizations are able to immerse themselves in the understanding, experimentation and application of all aspects of emerging technologies, as well as address the business disruptions confronting them and their industries. Also, it includes a global curated ecosystem of innovation partners, and a framework of tried and tested tools to help enterprises exploit today's market disruptions in a structured way.

The latest addition to Capgemini's global AIE network is its new Exchange in San Francisco, the heart of IT innovation, which opens its doors today. Specializing in co-innovation with established hi tech brands and startups, it provides exposure and access to the portfolio companies of selected venture capital and private equity partners, while enabling the immersion in and application of the vast sources of industry-specific innovation resident in Silicon Valley. With the fast pace of emerging technology introductions and compressed innovation cycle times, Capgemini's introduction of Applied Innovation and its AIE operating model have been built on the premise that innovation without ironclad application specific to the enterprise is a futile proposition.

Given the permanency of innovation in today's market, Applied Innovation is also designed to facilitate global enterprises becoming proficient and self-sustaining in their on-going application of these innovations. Capgemini's global network of Exchanges provides a structured and secure environment to help organizations to understand and apply emerging technologies such as Internet of Things, Insights and Data, Cloud, CyberSecurity and Vanguard IT1. Also, each Exchange houses key sectorial and process domain expertise to enable organizations to apply these innovations to their specific business context.

For example, Capgemini's Munich Exchange is home to extensive automotive Applied Innovation specialties. While Capgemini's AIE team, based in its Paris Exchange, has developed an application dedicated to the Oculus Rift virtual reality glasses, to stroll through a 3D environment replicating large industrial infrastructures and facilities, with the objective of providing immersive and efficient capabilities for experts to prepare a high risk intervention after an incident has occurred in a very hostile environment. Other Exchanges are located in Lille, Toulouse, Utrecht, Mumbai, Melbourne and now San Francisco, with London coming soon and plans to expand further this footprint in 2016.