AVEVA and the art of industrial intelligence
The acquisition of AVEVA by Schneider Electric has changed the company’s proposition in India, taking it beyond its earlier identity as an industrial software provider and positioning it as part of a broader technology ecosystem connecting the design and engineering of industrial assets with their operations. The combination gives customers a more comprehensive portfolio spanning the industrial lifecycle – from design and build to optimisation and operations.
“Schneider Electric comes from a deep instrumentation and energy management background and now has AVEVA as a software portfolio that is capable of bridging the gap across the entire design and build phase,” says Tarun Singh, market leader, India, AVEVA. Schneider’s portfolio was traditionally focused on optimisation, transformation and operations, while AVEVA adds capabilities across design and build, he contends. Together, the businesses can address the ‘360-degree profile’ of a customer.
The change is particularly relevant in India, where industrial companies are increasingly looking to integrate engineering, operations and IT systems. AVEVA’s software is also hardware-agnostic, allowing it to work across different devices, OEMs and equipment sources. This enables it to connect data across the technology stack, from the plant floor to enterprise systems.
This broader proposition is also driving AVEVA’s shift from being described primarily as an industrial software company to an industrial intelligence player. The change, however, is not simply about adding artificial intelligence to existing products. The company’s view is that AI can deliver value only when industrial data is connected and contextualised.
In many Indian plants, engineering, operations and IT continue to function in silos. Data is generated across sensors, machines and different systems but is often difficult to access and interpret collectively. AVEVA’s industrial intelligence proposition is aimed at bringing this information together so plant owners and operators can move from reacting to break-downs to anticipating potential failures and making faster decisions.
At the centre of this strategy is AVEVA CONNECT, the company’s cloud-based industrial intelligence platform. It is designed to break down silos between IT and operational technology and create a common data environment. The objective is to move customers from static digital replicas towards ‘living’ digital twins that can continuously absorb data and generate actionable insights, Singh informs.
Bridging data gaps
The partnership with HMEL in the refining sector is one example. The collaboration aims to bridge data gaps within industrial operations and combine that data with AI to generate deeper industrial understanding. AI is consequently becoming a layer built on top of a connected data foundation rather than an isolated technology initiative.
AVEVA is adding generative and agentic AI capabilities, while allowing customers to build purpose-driven models for specific industries. For engineering and EPC companies, the focus is on improving productivity, reducing project timelines and minimising rework.
The same principle applies to what AVEVA calls AI-ready data infrastructure. Industrial data comes from multiple devices using different protocols, making integration a major challenge. By bringing data from different sources into a common IT-OT environment, organisations can deploy AI applications on a more reliable data foundation.
This is where Schneider Electric’s industrial footprint adds another dimension. The combination of AVEVA’s industrial intelligence capabilities and Schneider’s solutions is creating value by collecting and using data from multiple sources across manufacturing plants, affirms Rahul Hege, GM, digital transformation & delivery, Schneider Electric. Schneider’s presence in energy management and industrial automation also gives the broader ecosystem access to industrial data generated through sensors, PLCs and other systems.
The opportunity for India is significant. As the country expands manufacturing and digital infrastructure, demand for connected industrial systems is likely to increase. India is also emerging as a major talent hub, creating an ecosystem that can support industrial AI. The acquisition has expanded AVEVA’s role in the industrial technology landscape. Rather than operating primarily as a software provider, it is increasingly becoming an intelligence layer connecting engineering, industrial operations, energy management and AI.