Industrial software provider Cognite and engineering group ABB are collaborating to integrate autonomous AI agents into energy sector industrial applications. The partnership aims to automate complex industrial workflows by adding an “agentic” orchestration layer to existing software, including ABB’s safety and alarm management systems.

The collaboration uses the Cognite Industrial AI and Data platform to enable different software applications to communicate and trigger actions across systems. This model is designed to accelerate multi-system risk assessments and alarm rationalisation, processes that are typically managed through manual coordination.

Aker BP, a Norwegian energy producer, has been named as the first customer to implement the technology. The company intends to use the AI framework to support its target of increasing production to 525,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day by 2028. Aker BP currently reports a production efficiency of 96 per cent.

The technology allows applications to operate as active agents that interpret data and reason through logic independently. By connecting disparate data points in real time, the companies claim the system reduces the risk of human error and information overload for operators in critical environments.

“This agentic framework allows us to scale our digital strategy, moving us closer to our goal of deploying hundreds of agents by 2026,” said Paula Doyle, Chief Digital Officer at Aker BP. She added that the agents would solve complex workflows that were previously manual.

Gino Hernandez, Head of Global Digital Business at ABB’s Energy Industries Division, said the integration of alarm and safety insights with an orchestration model allows customers to prioritise interventions and reduce operational risk.