Honeywell, Google Join Forces to Build AI-Driven Industrial Operations

Honeywell and Google Cloud are partnering to transform the industrial sector by integrating advanced artificial intelligence (AI) agents into operations.

The two companies announced their collaboration in a press release Monday (Oct. 21). The solutions, which are expected to begin rolling out in 2025, will leverage Honeywell’s Internet of Things platform, Honeywell Forge, and Google Cloud’s AI capabilities, particularly the Gemini platform on Vertex AI.

Besides enhancing efficiency by connecting assets, personnel and processes, the AI-driven solutions are also supposed to address the labor shortages facing many industries by making operations more autonomous.

As the baby boom population retires, the industrial sector is more shorthanded. According to Honeywell’s 2024 Industrial AI Insights report, while 82% of industrial leaders consider their organizations early adopters of AI, only 17% of them have fully implemented their initial strategies.

The Honeywell-Google partnership aims to bridge that gap by deploying AI agents that help upskill the workforce. Or as Honeywell Chairman and CEO Vimal Kapur said in the release, “The path to autonomy requires assets working harder, people working smarter, and processes working more efficiently.”

In addition, Honeywell and Google Cloud plan to co-develop specialized industrial AI agents designed to automate project design cycles and streamline maintenance tasks. These agents will use Google’s large language models to assist technicians in resolving issues more efficiently by processing various data types — including images, videos, text and sensor readings — leading to better decision-making on the factory floor.

According to the release, the partnership will also integrate Google Threat Intelligence into Honeywell’s cybersecurity offerings, enhancing threat detection for industrial customers and the security of critical infrastructure.

“Looking ahead, Honeywell will explore using Google’s Gemini Nano model to enhance Honeywell edge AI devices’ intelligence multiple use cases across verticals, ranging from scanning performance to voice-based guided workflow, maintenance, operational and alarm assist without the need to connect to the internet and cloud. This is the beginning of a new wave of more intelligent devices and solutions, which will be the subject of future Honeywell announcements,” the release said.

Unless there’s an influx of young talent that joins the industrial sector, companies will depend on automation and autonomy for their operations. To adjust, there may be more collaborative harnessing of AI tools.

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