Why Honeywell & Google Cloud Have Teamed Up on Industrial AI
Industrial tech company Honeywell has announced a collaboration with Google Cloud to develop artificial intelligence (AI) solutions for the industrial sector, with the partnership aiming to address labour and skills shortages in the industry by connecting AI agents with assets, people and processes.
The move will combine Google Cloud’s Gemini AI technology on its Vertex AI platform with Honeywell's Internet of Things (IoT) platform, Honeywell Forge. This integration is expected to provide enterprise-wide insights across multiple use cases in industrial settings.
AI agents to augment industrial workforce
Honeywell and Google Cloud plan to create purpose-built, industrial AI agents using Google Cloud's Vertex AI Search. These agents will be tailored to engineers' specific needs, automating tasks and reducing project design cycles.
The AI agents will utilise Google’s large language models (LLMs) to assist technicians in resolving maintenance issues more quickly. By leveraging Gemini's multimodal capabilities, the agents will be able to process various data types, including images, videos, text, and sensor readings.
Vimal Kapur, Chairman and CEO of Honeywell, said: "The path to autonomy requires assets working harder, people working smarter and processes working more efficiently. By combining Google Cloud’s AI technology with our deep domain expertise--including valuable data on our Honeywell Forge platform--customers will receive unparalleled, actionable insights bridging the physical and digital worlds to accelerate autonomous operations, a key driver of Honeywell’s growth."
Addressing industry challenges
The industrial sector is facing significant challenges due to the mass retirement of workers from the baby boomer generation, resulting in both labour and skills shortages. Honeywell's 2024 Industrial AI Insights report reveals that while 82% of Industrial AI leaders believe their companies are early adopters of AI, only 17% have fully launched their initial AI plans.
Thomas Kurian, CEO of Google Cloud, states: “Our partnership with Honeywell represents a significant step forward in bringing the transformative power of AI to industrial operations. With Gemini on Vertex AI, combined with Honeywell's industrial data and expertise, we're creating new opportunities to optimise processes, empower workforces and drive meaningful business outcomes for industrial organisations worldwide.”
Enhanced cybersecurity and edge computing
The collaboration also includes plans to integrate Google Threat Intelligence into Honeywell's cybersecurity products, such as Global Analysis, Research and Defense (GARD) Threat Intelligence and Secure Media Exchange (SMX). This integration aims to enhance threat detection and protect global infrastructure for industrial customers.
Honeywell is exploring the use of Google’s Gemini Nano model to enhance the intelligence of its edge AI devices across various use cases. This development could enable devices to operate without internet connectivity, potentially leading to a new wave of more intelligent devices and solutions.
Suresh Venkatarayalu, Honeywell's CTO and President of Honeywell Connected Enterprise, explained: “We're moving from automation to autonomy. Our goal is to equip companies with AI agents that assist workers in real time – on factory floors and in the field. With AI running both in the cloud and at the edge, we're making sure that systems work smarter and more efficiently.”
The first solutions built with Google Cloud AI are expected to be available to Honeywell's customers in 2025.
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