Schneider Electric and Microsoft have unveiled new agentic manufacturing capabilities. The collaboration integrates Schneider’s EcoStruxure Automation Expert with Microsoft Azure AI to automate engineering tasks and optimise industrial processes.

The companies have introduced an industrial “copilot” designed to reduce engineering time by up to 50%. The AI-powered tool assists with control configuration and documentation, allowing production line changes that previously took weeks to be completed in hours. The platform uses specialized AI agents to validate automation logic through simulation before it is deployed to physical hardware.

In a pilot deployment with green hydrogen producer H2E Power, the system has completed more than 6,000 hours of autonomous operation. Schneider Electric reported that the platform helped reduce the levelised cost of hydrogen by approximately 10% at a 10-megawatt plant by optimising high-temperature electrolysis processes.

“From agentic design to software defined operations, Microsoft and Schneider Electric demonstrate a single, interoperable workflow,” said Gwenaelle Huet, Executive Vice President of Industrial Automation at Schneider Electric. Huet noted the system allows automation logic to be deployed consistently across cloud and edge environments.

The joint platform is designed to standardise reusable logic and maintain traceability throughout the manufacturing lifecycle. This approach is intended to help manufacturers manage increasing product variability and supply chain instability by connecting engineering intent with real-time execution.