AI startup Sierra is partnering with Kraken, the dominant utilities software platform, to integrate customer support in the software it sells around the world, the companies shared first with Axios.Why it matters: The move takes Sierra, which specializes in building customer support agents for retail, financial services and healthcare, deeper into the software layer for energy companies.Driving the news: Under the deal, Sierra's agent technology will plug into Kraken's system, which already has the needed context around customer accounts, meters, rates and other data.Kraken will keep the direct relationship with the utility companies. Financial terms were not disclosed.What they're saying: "Sierra handles the conversation; Kraken provides the intelligence and the ability to act on real customer needs," Kraken's chief AI and corporate development officer Assaf Biderman said in an e-mail interview. The result is an agent that can both answer questions and resolve issues, Biderman said.For Sierra, it's a chance to show another industry where its agents can help resolve customer issues autonomously. "Sierra works with companies in some of the largest and most regulated industries in the world," Sierra co-founder Bret Taylor said in a statement to Axios. The partnership will serve more than 70 million customer accounts worldwide, per Taylor.