IFS Highlights Industrial AI Innovations and Strategic Partnerships at Industrial X Unleashed

IFS, a provider of industrial AI software, showcased its latest applications of artificial intelligence at its marquee event, Industrial X Unleashed, in Tribeca, New York. The company highlighted real-world applications of AI in industrial operations and unveiled partnerships demonstrating the technology in action.

Opening the event, IFS CEO Mark Moffat emphasized the scale of opportunity presented by industrial AI. “The opportunity to drive growth in our economy, as well as positively impact our society and planet using AI is now – but importantly, what will make a difference is applying AI in the industrial setting,” Moffat said. “The news headlines to date have been on the generic productivity benefits AI can provide to office-based workers, but IFS is uniquely positioned to deliver contextual and industry-specific AI to workers in the field. And that is where we will see the most impactful innovation and efficiency gains.”

He highlighted the enormous capital flows driving the energy transition and digital infrastructure. “There is massive investment happening around us. Trillions of dollars are flowing into the global shift toward electrification, grid transition, and data-center expansion,” Moffat said. “More than $7 trillion is expected in the next five years for data centers, chips, and critical infrastructure. One surprising thing I learned recently: these chips have a three-to-five-year life. That means this cycle of investment isn’t slowing—it’s accelerating.”

“To seize this opportunity for customers, we need what we call Industrial X: engines of progress and possibility,” Moffat said. “This means combining frontier AI models, world-class data infrastructure, robotics, and business-model reinvention. No single team or company can do this alone.”

He also stressed the operational demands of industrial AI. “You’ve all seen the headlines—generic, high-level claims about AI changing the world. But Industrial AI is different,” Moffat said. “It must work offline. It must be mobile. It must be context-aware and safe. It must serve the people actually doing the work in the field, not just the people writing presentations.”

On workforce implications, Moffat said, “Humanoid robots. Autonomous inspection. Digital workers. AI copilots. We see robotics and AI augmenting—not replacing—the workforce, especially as industries struggle with aging workers and talent shortages. In the U.S. alone, millions of skilled jobs remain unfilled.”

Driving Industrial AI

IFS highlighted partnerships with AI companies to apply advanced capabilities in sectors such as aerospace and defense, energy, engineering and construction, manufacturing, telecommunications, and transport.

Frontier AI models were a key focus. In collaboration with Anthropic, IFS Nexus Black launched Resolve, powered by Claude, a solution that delivers industry-specific AI directly to frontline workers. Resolve interprets video, audio, temperature, pressure, and schematics to predict and prevent faults. William Grant & Sons, the world’s largest independent distiller, has implemented the solution, helping engineers anticipate maintenance issues, reduce unplanned downtime, and focus on higher-value production tasks.

Physical AI and Robotics

The event also demonstrated how AI integrates with robotics. A collaboration with Boston Dynamics showed applications in utility operations, with Eversource, New England’s largest energy delivery company, discussing plans to enhance efficiency and service across its 4.4 million customers. IFS also announced a partnership with robotics manufacturer 1X Technologies, which plans to deploy humanoid robots in industrial settings.

Grid and Power

Siemens Grid Software CEO Dr. Sabine Erlinghagen focused on the mounting challenges facing power infrastructure as AI-driven demand rises. “The grid is at risk of becoming the bottleneck of the AI revolution. We’re not just saying that for effect,” she said. “Today we’re looking at a tripling of electricity demand by 2050. We’ve already seen numbers pointing to a 50% increase by 2030.”

She noted that electrification of transportation, heating, and industrial processes already stressed the system. “This was already a challenge before AI—driven by the electrification of everything: transportation, heating, industrial processes. Now, on top of that, we have the enormous demand coming from AI factories.”

To illustrate the scale, she added, “AI factories are projected to consume as much power as the entire economy of Japan—roughly 125 million people and the third-largest economy in the world. Generating that power is one thing. Getting it through the grid reliably is an entirely different challenge.”

Erlinghagen explained that interconnection delays are a major bottleneck. “The wait time for grid connections has jumped from two–three years to an average of five years. If you tell Microsoft or any major tech company that they must wait five years to power a new data center, the AI revolution slows down. It’s that simple.”

She outlined three approaches Siemens is using to address these constraints:

• Helping data centers design sites that improve connection approval. “Data center operators are calling us asking, ‘How do I design my site so my connection request is more likely to be approved?’ We help them optimize loads and design a smarter on-site energy system so they can actually get connected,” she said.

• Assisting utilities in processing interconnection requests faster. “We’re working with utilities, whose interconnection queues are overwhelming them. AI, automation, and our decades of transmission and distribution planning expertise help them process requests faster,” she said.

• Increasing utilization of existing infrastructure. “Even if you want to build new lines, it takes years to permit and construct them. The fastest relief comes from transporting more power over the same lines,” she said. “Data-driven grid software shows exactly how much capacity is already used and how much is still available—often as much as 20% more than assumed.”

Expert Perspective

Ray Wang, principal analyst and chairman of Constellation Research, commented on the importance of embedding AI in operational workflows. “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,” he said. “Customers seek deep domain expertise from their trusted AI partners, especially in manufacturing, utilities, aerospace, and energy. The AI Age isn’t about adding AI features to legacy software. It’s about architecting the control plane for the next generation of intelligent industrial operations where autonomous execution happens at scale, in real-time and achieving decision velocity for tangible business outcomes.”

Additional speakers included representatives from PwC, Accenture, Anthropic, Boston Dynamics, Deloitte, Microsoft, MIT CISR, and Siemens Grid Software.