Amber Hickman |
Rockwell Automation and Microsoft are expanding their partnership to accelerate industrial automation design and development using generative artificial intelligence.
Microsoft’s Azure OpenAI Service will be added to Rockwell Automation’s FactoryTalk Design Studio to help users accelerate time-to-market when building industrial automation systems.
Engineers will be able to generate code using natural language prompts, automate routine tasks and improve design efficiency. Furthermore, the use of generative AI and natural language prompts will help in the training of new employees by finding relevant help from a wide range of information.
“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.”
Rockwell Automation and Microsoft hope to continue extending use cases to solve other industry challenges, such as quality management and improvement, failure mode analysis, and training frontline workers to execute manufacturing processes through chat-based collaboration.
“The explosive growth and interest in AI is driving organisations 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, optimise the efficiency of their operations, and spur greater innovation across industrial organisations.”
The two firms are also continuing to explore ways to advance innovation in the industrial metaverse.