What Recent Multibillion Industrial AI Deals Tell Us About The Market

The global industrial AI sector is experiencing significant consolidation and strategic partnerships among major players, including Schneider Electric, Siemens, ABB, Emerson, Honeywell, and Rockwell Automation. These industry leaders are acquiring companies like Cognite and AspenTech to develop AI-native capabilities and secure data leadership positions. The objective is to unlock over $1 trillion in value by 2036, driven by the fear of missing out on operational advantages.

Unlike consumer AI, industrial AI focuses on solving complex, real-world problems with less hype. Market projections are optimistic, with the sector expected to reach a $570 billion market valuation by 2034. This suggests an intense race for dominance in the industrial AI market.

In recent years, there has been a surge in consolidation and strategic partnerships within the global energy and industrial artificial intelligence segment. Traditional industrial equipment and software vendors are adopting AI to stay competitive in the approaching future. Notable acquisitions include Schneider Electric's $3.1 billion purchase of Cognite and Emerson's $7.2 billion takeover of AspenTech.

These moves are intended to integrate under AVEVA, a subsidiary of Schneider Electric's Industrial Automation business unit, which was valued at $11.6 billion in January 2023.

Simultaneously, Siemens announced a strategic partnership with IFS to connect design, production, and asset performance. ABB has allocated $14 billion for strategic acquisitions, following its recent $5.5 billion spend on automation company Rotork. The company has also sold its robotics division to Softbank and is investing in research and development through buyouts like Meshmind and partnerships with LandingAI.

Rockwell Automation and Honeywell are adopting similar strategies through acquisitions like Knowledge Lens, Clearpath Robotics, and targeting deals in the $2 billion to $4 billion range.

Dan Jeavons, a former Shell executive and president of Applied Computing, emphasizes that the industrial AI business is more grounded in expectations and operational realities, unlike the hype often associated with consumer AI. Industry AI startups share this perspective, focusing on solving complex industrial problems while avoiding the volatility and bubble anxieties typically associated with the consumer AI market.

Many startups are being acquired by industry equipment and software majors, as scale matters in an arena where partnerships, collaborations, and scale-up investments are crucial.