Tech giants IBM and ABB this week announced a partnership to combine the former's artificial intelligence capabilities with the latter's digital and analytics services.
The companies plan to develop a new suite of products combining IBM's Watson cognitive system with the ABB Ability digital platform.
Officials said that the technology would help move the Industrial Internet of Things beyond the gathering of data toward machines that can analyze information and adjust accordingly.
The system aims to enable companies to improve quality control, curb downtime and enable more efficient processes.
“This powerful combination marks truly the next level of industrial technology,” ABB CEO Ulrich Spiesshofer said in a statement.
The companies said that an ABB system, for example, could capture images of equipment on a factory floor and allow Watson to identify potential problems in real time.
The technology could also profoundly impact other sectors, including utilities and transportation.
“The data generated from industrial companies' products, facilities and systems holds the promise of exponential advances in innovation, efficiency and safety," said IBM CEO Ginni Rometty. "Only with Watson's broad cognitive capabilities and our platform's unique support for industries can this vast new resource be turned into value, with trust."
