Rockwell Automation and Microsoft Expand Partnership to Leverage Generative AI Capabilities
Rockwell Automation, Inc. and Microsoft
Corp. announced an extension of their longstanding relationship to
accelerate industrial automation design and development through generative
artificial intelligence (AI). The companies are combining technologies to
empower the workforce and accelerate time-to-market for customers building
industrial automation systems. The first outcome of this collaboration will add
Microsoft’s Azure OpenAI Service into FactoryTalk Design
Studio to deliver industry-first capabilities accelerating time-to-market
for their customers building industrial automation systems.
“The skilled labor shortage and ensuing lost productivity is the biggest
challenge facing industrial organizations and their service providers today.
These shortages are increasing the need, value, and complexity of automation
projects when the ecosystem of service providers is less equipped to deliver on
time, quality, and budget,” said Matthew Littlefield, President LNS Research.
“Generative AI has already proven its ability to capture the imagination and
enhance the productivity of workers in a range of IT and business scenarios.
Rockwell Automation and Microsoft’s strategic partnership is an exciting and
high-potential step forward in addressing these long-term structural
challenges.”
Rockwell and Microsoft recognize that using AI to enhance automation
across various roles, from decision makers to control engineers and operators,
is a key area where they can come together to help customers streamline their
processes and drive worker productivity.
“Rockwell’s decade-long relationship with Microsoft illustrates our
ongoing commitment to providing best-of-breed solutions that empower customers
and support our shared vision of driving industries forward through innovation
and collaboration,” said Blake Moret, Chairman and CEO of Rockwell Automation.
“Together, we’re not just addressing current market needs; we’re shaping the
future of technology in industrial automation.”
Adding Azure OpenAI Service into FactoryTalk Design Studio helps
engineers generate code using natural language prompts, automating routine
tasks and improving design efficiency. It will also empower seasoned engineers
to accelerate development and mentor newcomers on a learning path more
efficiently and effectively. Additionally, it will assist in finding relevant
help from vast collections of information to further educate
developers. Rockwell and Microsoft see a bright future in extending this
integrated technology to solve other challenges, including Quality Management
and Improvement, Failure Mode Analysis, and training frontline workers to
execute manufacturing processes through chat-based collaboration with experienced
human workers as well as Azure OpenAI Service-based chatbots.
“The explosive growth and interest in artificial intelligence is driving
organizations to partner with Microsoft as a trusted cloud and AI provider,”
said Judson Althoff, executive vice president and chief commercial officer at
Microsoft. “I am pleased to further strengthen our longstanding relationship
with Rockwell by combining its expertise in industrial automation with
Microsoft’s generative AI technology to help industrial professionals expedite
the creation of complex control systems, optimize the efficiency of their
operations, and spur greater innovation across industrial organizations.”
Additionally, Rockwell and Microsoft are continuing to explore ways to
advance innovation in the industrial metaverse. Both companies are using their
respective IoT capabilities, cloud datasets, simulations and AI to design and
build products more effectively, more efficiently and more sustainably.
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