IFS partners with Siemens & Boston Dynamics to power AI in industry
IFS has unveiled a series of partnerships with Siemens, Boston Dynamics, and 1X Technologies, demonstrating applications of artificial intelligence within asset-intensive industrial settings. The collaborations target sectors such as energy, manufacturing, and utilities, aiming to address challenges around ageing infrastructure, labour shortages, and the transition to renewable energy sources.
AI and grid management
The partnership between IFS and Siemens focuses on integrating AI-driven solutions into energy grid planning and management. These systems are intended to enable self-optimising grid operations. By doing so, operators seek to address the challenges linked to ageing power networks and the shift towards distributed renewable resources. The aim is to support autonomous maintenance activities, reduce outages, and optimise investment in grid upgrades.
Robotics in the field
IFS is collaborating with Boston Dynamics to incorporate autonomous inspection robots within industrial environments. These robots use 'agentic' AI to handle real-time data collection and operational decisions. The approach targets improvements in safety, efficiency, and equipment uptime. It is also designed to mitigate the effects of labour shortages within asset-intensive industries by enabling continuous, automated inspections of critical infrastructure.
Eversource, which delivers energy to over 4.4 million homes in New England, is exploring use cases for this technology to drive improvements in service reliability and field operations.
Humanoid robots in industry
A partnership between IFS and 1X Technologies aims to bring humanoid robots powered by industrial AI into manufacturing and field service roles. The integration manages the deployment of both human and robotic workers, co-ordinated by AI, to scale operations and address workforce constraints. The companies are focusing on production-ready automation applications, supporting industries where recruitment and retention of skilled technical staff is an ongoing issue.
Industry adaptation
IFS is leveraging its AI platform, IFS.ai, to deliver context-specific AI-driven applications across aerospace, defence, construction, telecommunications, and transportation. An example includes William Grant & Sons, where AI solutions help engineers anticipate and resolve maintenance issues more quickly, aiming to minimise unplanned outages and improve equipment reliability.
The company's collaboration with Anthropic has produced the Resolve platform, which allows field workers to analyse multi-modal data-including video and sensor readings-to detect and address faults efficiently.
Sector perspective
"We are finally witnessing leadership in the category of Industrial AI. While frontier AI models and infrastructure platforms grab headlines, the critical missing piece has been the orchestration layer, the industrial operating system that embeds AI directly into mission-critical workflows," said R "Ray" Wang, Principal Analyst, Founder and Chairman, Constellation Research.
