WSP and Microsoft partner to drive digital transformation in the AEC industry

• WSP is designated as a Microsoft preferred partner for engineering and science consultancy
• Microsoft is designated as a preferred digital and AI transformation partner

MONTREAL, Feb. 13, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- WSP Global Inc. (TSX: WSP) (“WSP” or the “Corporation”), one of the world's leading engineering and science-based professional services firms, and Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) today announced a multi-year, global strategic partnership to accelerate the digitalization of the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry. This 7-year partnership represents a potential combined financial commitment and investment exceeding $1 billion.

As part of this partnership, WSP is designating Microsoft as a preferred partner for digital and AI transformation services, including an expansion of Microsoft 365 Copilot globally.

Microsoft will continue to look to WSP as a preferred partner for engineering and science consultancy to meet the demand of customers worldwide.

“We are immensely proud of this partnership with Microsoft as it sets an innovation milestone for WSP and our entire industry,” said Alexandre L’Heureux, President and Chief Executive Officer of WSP. “This collaboration will allow us to push the boundaries of what's possible, ensuring we stay at the forefront of technological advancements and consistently provide exceptional value to our people and clients. By combining our deep engineering and scientific expertise with Microsoft’s best-in-class digital and AI technologies, we can drive value-focused innovation and achieve exceptional results for our clients, our communities, and our business worldwide.”

Building for the future

As part of this partnership, Microsoft and WSP will embark on addressing three key initiatives:

• Leveraging the valuable engineering data and knowledge WSP has as one of the world’s largest engineering and science-based services firms;
• Increasing the speed and scale at which Microsoft can responsibly deliver mission-critical facilities, such as data centres;
• Combining WSP’s deep engineering and science knowledge with Microsoft’s best-in- class technologies to bring new digital solutions to market and help solve their shared clients’ most pressing challenges. Examples of this could include:
  • AI-powered virtual experts that catalyze and contribute to the advancement and modernization of the engineering and science-based industry;
  • Unlocking clients’ vast knowledge assets to drive informed investment and risk mitigation strategies;
  • Creating new design paradigms that drive at scale acceleration of time-to-deliver in the asset lifecycle.

“As our customers accelerate their AI transformation efforts, the demand for advanced AI and digital capabilities continues to grow,” said Judson Althoff, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer at Microsoft. “With its leadership in engineering, advisory, and science-based services, WSP is uniquely positioned to help us scale the mission-critical facilities required to support our customers efficiently, effectively, and sustainably. By combining our world-class technologies and innovative solutions with WSP’s expertise, we will also co-develop comprehensive solutions to drive transformative business gains across the AEC industry."

WSP will share additional details about this exciting initiative with Microsoft later today at its , which will be accessible virtually. At this event, the Corporation will present its 2025-2027 Global Strategic Action Plan.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This press release contains information or statements that are or may be “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking statements can typically be identified by terminology such as “may”, “will”, “should”, “expect”, “plan”, “anticipate”, “believe”, “estimate”, “predict”, “forecast”, “project”, “intend”, “target”, “potential”, “continue” or the negative of these terms or terminology of a similar nature. Forward- looking statements in this press release include, without limitation, those information and statements about the strategic partnership with Microsoft’s ability to accelerate the digitalization of the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry, our ability to drive value- focus innovation to achieve exceptional results for our clients, our communities and our business worldwide, our ability to leverage the valuable engineering data and data knowledge we have, the ability to increase the speed and scale at which Microsoft can responsibly deliver mission-critical facilities, such as data centres, our ability to bring new digital solutions to market to help solve our clients’ most pressing challenges. These forward-looking statements are based on a number of assumptions believed by the Corporation to be reasonable at the date of this press release, including the adoption of AI and digital solutions by its clients, its ability to unlock access to knowledge and data, the acceptance of a new paradigm in the AEC industry, the expected increased efficiency that implemented technology can bring, the expected new sources of value that AI and digital can create, and economic and market assumptions regarding the competition, political environment and economic performance of each region where it operates. Although WSP believes that the expectations reflected in such forward- looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to have been correct. These statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties and may be based on assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated or implied in the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties are discussed in the “Risk Factors” section of WSP’s Management and Discussion Analysis for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2023, and WSP’s Management’s Discussion and Analysis for the third quarter and nine-month period ended September 28, 2024 and filed on SEDAR+ at , as well as other risks detailed from time to time in reports filed by the Corporation with securities regulators or securities commissions or other documents that the Corporation makes public, which may cause events or results to differ materially from the results expressed or implied in any forward-looking statement. The forward-looking information contained herein is expressly qualified in its entirety by this cautionary statement. The forward- looking information contained herein is made as of the date of this press release, and the Corporation undertakes no obligation to publicly update such forward-looking information to reflect new information, subsequent or otherwise, unless required by applicable securities laws.

ABOUT WSP

WSP is one of the world’s leading professional services firms, uniting its engineering, advisory and science-based expertise to shape communities to advance humanity. From local beginnings to a globe-spanning presence today, WSP operates in over 50 countries and employs approximately 73,000 professionals, known as Visioneers. Together they pioneer solutions and deliver innovative projects across sectors: Transportation & Infrastructure, Property & Buildings, Earth & Environment, Water, Power & Energy and Mining & Metals. WSP is publicly listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX:WSP).