SoundHound AI and Acrelec Partner to Power the Next Generation of AI-Powered Drive-Thrus

Strategic partnership with global QSR technology leader Acrelec unlocks new revenue opportunities and accelerates AI adoption in restaurants worldwide

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--SoundHound AI, Inc. (Nasdaq: SOUN), a global leader in voice artificial intelligence, and Acrelec, a world leader in quick service restaurant (QSR) technology, today announced a strategic partnership to bring advanced, voice-enabled drive-thru systems to restaurants worldwide.

Together, the companies will deliver next-generation drive-thru ecosystems that integrate SoundHound’s sophisticated Dynamic Drive-Thru voice AI technology with Acrelec’s content management system and digital signage enclosures. This combined solution enables customers to place orders seamlessly through an automated voice assistant, which processes requests and sends them directly to the point-of-sale system – streamlining operations and enhancing the overall guest experience.

The fully integrated system not only offers consumers greater speed and convenience but also helps restaurants optimize labor by freeing up staff to focus on restaurant operations, while remaining available to assist when needed.

With over 25,000 drive-thru installations worldwide, the subsidiary of GLORY LTD powers customer experiences for leading brands like McDonald's and Dunkin'. The company supports over 80,000 technology deployments globally, including kiosks, self-checkout, and click-and-collect systems.

“As restaurants continue to turn to AI to meet rising customer expectations and alleviate staffing pressures, we’re excited to partner with Acrelec to deliver impactful AI solutions at scale,” said Michael Lauricella, VP of Channel Partnerships at SoundHound AI. “Together, we’re helping brands modernize the drive-thru and deliver seamless, future-ready experiences.”

“Restaurants today are facing increased pressure to provide easy, efficient customer experiences while managing labor shortages and high operational demands,” said Chloe Bisiaux, Director of Innovation & Marketing at Acrelec. “Through our partnership with SoundHound AI, we are empowering our clients with sophisticated AI solutions that will ultimately help them stay competitive and focused on what matters most: delivering great customer experiences and great food.”

SoundHound’s voice AI technology is already deployed in well over 10,000 restaurant locations, with solutions for phone, drive-thru, kiosk, headset, and other devices. The company’s proprietary technology is backed by millions of hours of voice data and an annual query run rate of multiple billions.

To learn more about restaurant solutions from SoundHound AI, visit www.soundhound.com.

About SoundHound AI

SoundHound AI (Nasdaq: SOUN), a global leader in voice and conversational intelligence, delivers AI solutions that allow businesses to offer superior experiences to their customers. Built on proprietary technology, SoundHound’s voice AI delivers best-in-class speed and accuracy in numerous languages to product creators and service providers across retail, financial services, healthcare, automotive, smart devices, and restaurants. The company’s various groundbreaking AI-driven products include Smart Answering, Smart Ordering, Dynamic Drive-Thru, and the Amelia Platform, which powers AI Agents for enterprise. In addition, SoundHound Chat AI, a powerful voice assistant with integrated Generative AI, and Autonomics, a category-leading operations platform that automates IT processes, have allowed SoundHound to power millions of products and services, and processes billions of interactions each year for world class businesses.

About Acrelec

Acrelec is a global technology company, part of Glory Group, focused on reinventing the customer experience for restaurant and retail brands. Leveraging decades of software, hardware, and service/support expertise, Acrelec develops and integrates new platforms that increase customer engagement, optimize efficiency, and improve operations. Serving nearly 70 global customers—including iconic brands such as McDonald's and Dunkin'— Acrelec counts over 120,000 installations and over 1,000 employees globally, bringing its robust tech ecosystem for drive-thru solutions, self-order kiosk, self-checkout, and operational solutions to people worldwide. Never satisfied with the status quo, Acrelec's passion is delivering breakthroughs that drive business results for their customers.