TLDR: EPAM Systems, Inc. has been awarded the 2025 Microsoft Innovate with Azure AI Platform Partner of the Year Award. This recognition highlights EPAM’s leadership in developing advanced AI solutions on Azure, particularly its work in building scalable generative AI platforms and AI-powered virtual assistants for enterprise clients, exemplified by its collaboration with Albert Heijn.
NEWTOWN, PA – November 13, 2025 – EPAM Systems, Inc. (NYSE: EPAM), a leading global provider of digital engineering and AI-enabled transformation services, today announced it has received the prestigious Innovate with Azure AI Platform 2025 Microsoft Partner of the Year Award. This accolade positions EPAM among a select group of top Microsoft partners globally, celebrated for their exceptional innovation and successful implementation of customer solutions leveraging Microsoft technology.
The ‘Innovate with Azure AI Platform’ award specifically acknowledges partners who have demonstrated groundbreaking innovation in developing cutting-edge AI solutions using Azure AI Foundry. This includes a proven impact through specific customer engagements or use cases, showcasing leadership in refining AI models, constructing multi-modal systems, and ensuring robust safety and governance in adherence to Microsoft’s leading AI frameworks.
Dmitry Tikhomirov, VP of Technology Solutions at EPAM, expressed the company’s pride in this recognition: “We are honored Microsoft named us the 2025 Innovate with Azure AI Platform Partner of the Year for our leadership in advancing AI innovation on Azure. Our engineering teams combine deep technical and industry expertise, Azure excellence, and responsible AI design to turn business challenges into scalable enterprise-agentic solutions. By uniting Azure AI Foundry with our GenAI vision and products, we help global organizations accelerate AI transformation and achieve measurable business outcomes. This is made possible by our own Software Development Lifecycle, which is end-to-end accelerated by GitHub Copilot and a broad agent ecosystem, reducing time to market while strengthening quality and security.”
EPAM’s award-winning submission highlighted its innovative work with Albert Heijn, the Netherlands’ largest retailer. This collaboration led to the development of a scalable Generative AI (GenAI) platform designed to accelerate the deployment of AI-enabled use cases while maintaining stringent governance and security standards. A key outcome of this partnership is an AI-powered virtual assistant, seamlessly integrated into Albert Heijn’s employee app. This assistant empowers store teams with instant access to product and stock information, thereby simplifying restocking processes, enhancing customer support, and streamlining employee onboarding. Wilco Brandt, CIO of Albert Heijn, Etos, and Gall&Gall, commented on the impact: “This award brings some well-deserved recognition to the brilliant engineers at EPAM and Microsoft, who are changing the game in how we use AI to improve our customers’ journeys. Together with EPAM and Microsoft, we built a GenAI platform that delivers real value to our store operations – making product information instantly accessible, simplifying restocking and onboarding, and ultimately helping our colleagues serve customers better. This is how we turn innovation into real impact.”
Beyond this significant win, EPAM also received recognition as a Finalist in three other highly competitive categories: ‘Azure Awards: Build and Modernize AI Apps’, ‘Industry Awards: Energy and Resources’, and ‘Partner Innovation Awards: Global SI Growth Champion’. This further solidifies EPAM’s deepening collaboration with Microsoft, building on its existing status as a Globally Managed Enterprise Systems Integrator and its recent recognition as a Microsoft Global Systems Integrator (GSI).
Nicole Dezen, Chief Partner Officer and Corporate Vice President at Microsoft, congratulated the honorees: “This year, our partners harnessed the transformative power of Microsoft’s Cloud and AI platforms to deliver transformative solutions that redefine the boundaries of innovation. The energy and ingenuity across our ecosystem continue to inspire us. The 2025 honorees exemplify what’s possible when technology and vision unite to empower customers around the world.”
Elaina Shekhter, Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer at EPAM, emphasized the strategic importance of this enhanced partnership: “As a Microsoft GSI partner, we’re excited to harness the opportunities this elevated partnership offers to help clients unlock greater value from their Microsoft investments. This GSI recognition empowers us to drive transformative outcomes, accelerate cloud adoption and open new avenues for innovation and growth.”
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EPAM Systems, founded in 1993, has evolved into a global leader in digital engineering, cloud, and AI-enabled transformation services. The company’s commitment to leveraging AI and GenAI is evident in its transformative solutions, including platforms like EPAM AI/RUN™ and initiatives like DIALX Lab, aimed at accelerating clients’ digital innovation and competitive advantage.
