AVEVA India to boost R&D workforce by 5% with focus on industrial agentic AI, says exec

As Indian businesses adopt the fourth industrial revolution, also known as Industry 4.0, industrial intelligence—which encompasses the integration of AI, IoT, robotics, and big data analytics—is facilitating a significant transformation towards smart factories, enhanced operational efficiency, and robust supply chains. British multinational IT firm AVEVA is playing a pivotal role in this journey by helping organisations transform data into insights that power efficiency, agility, and innovation. The company, which currently employs over 1000 R&D personnel in India and plans to increase this workforce by 5% annually, considers India as an innovation hub. In an interaction with TechCircle, Harpreet Gulati, SVP - Head of Process Intelligence System Business at AVEVA, sheds light on the company’s latest innovation leveraging Industry 4.0 and outlines AVEVA's technology and business roadmap for the coming months. Edited excerpts.

What does Industry 4.0 mean for enterprises today?

The future of Industry 4.0 is about moving beyond simple digitalisation towards creating fully integrated, intelligent industrial ecosystems that will empower companies to be more operationally efficient and sustainable. This transformation is underpinned by what we at AVEVA call "industrial intelligence"—the ability to combine trusted information with AI-enriched insights to drive collaboration and responsible use of resources.

Some of its key benefits include enhanced efficiency and agility through AI, IoT, and edge-to-cloud computing, enabling intelligent production systems and improved decision-making. AI-enabled predictive maintenance can cut maintenance costs by up to 30% and reduce unplanned downtime by nearly half. Digital solutions also drive sustainability, potentially reducing emissions by up to 20% in energy-intensive sectors by 2050, with industries investing in emissions monitoring, energy optimisation, and predictive maintenance. Furthermore, cloud-based industrial intelligence democratises technology, making advanced tools accessible and affordable for mid-sized manufacturers and MSMEs, enabling global competition without heavy infrastructure investments.

In which sectors do you see the impact of Industry 4.0? Can you please explain with examples?

We’re already seeing the impact of this evolution across different sectors. For instance, mining firm MMG Limited standardised asset utilisation with AVEVA Production Management, increasing it by at least 10% and boosting overall capacity by 10-20%. Tata Power implemented our predictive analytics to establish a remote monitoring centre, ensuring power plant equipment reliability. In Maharashtra, approximately 55% of water utilities use our technology, and the State Water and Sanitation Mission will use the AVEVA PI System to monitor water quality and supply to 45,000 villages and cities. P.T. Freeport Indonesia utilised translated AVEVA Unified Learning content to enable the successful adoption of the learning platform across their copper plants. There are many more examples.

How does AVEVA enhance customer experience and deliver value through its industrial software?

AVEVA delivers industrial intelligence by integrating data into a unified foundation, creating intelligent digital twins that enable real-time, data-driven decision-making. This improves operational efficiency, sustainability, and resilience. Our smart cities solutions are deployed in 10 Indian cities, including Naya Raipur and Gift City, where AVEVA's Unified Operations Centre (UOC) manages city operations and drives digital transformation. For example, our PI System improved productivity by nearly 90% and reduced quality-related costs by 40% at a smart manufacturing facility. We also helped L&T Hydrocarbon Engineering establish a single-point information repository, improving deliverable quality and customer satisfaction. At Pfizer, the AVEVA PI System centralised data, accelerating compliance reporting by 50%, reducing manual effort, and speeding up root-cause analysis by 30%.

This open ecosystem integrates its platform with other technologies to enhance customer value. Our Customer Experience Centre (CEC) in Hyderabad showcases connected ecosystems, AI, and digital twins, offering demonstrations and engagement with the sustainability-focused Innovation Lab.

What is the current team size and skillset composition?

Our R&D team in India comprises 950 personnel (800 in Hyderabad, 150 in Bangalore), representing approximately 43% of the total global development team. The delivery teams possess deep industrial expertise, specialising in smart city and renewable energy solutions. AVEVA is also building a multi-generational workforce, having hired 283 early career participants in 2024 and investing in cybersecurity skills training for all software developers. The Customer Experience Centre (CEC) in Hyderabad facilitates customer collaboration with these R&D teams. AVEVA has a total global workforce of 6,500 employees across more than 30 countries.

What is the focus of your India R&D centres this year, and what kind of innovation work happens here?

AVEVA's India R&D centres in Hyderabad and Bangalore serve as the primary hub for global product innovation, leading the majority of product development efforts in 2025. The 950-person team, comprising approximately 43% of AVEVA's global development workforce, focuses on key areas such as smart city and renewable energy solutions, providing industrial expertise to the global market. They also support local needs through faster product localisation and cost-effective deployment models. A major emphasis is placed on advancing AI, with R&D teams accelerating the development of predictive capabilities, AI models, and Generative AI applications through collaborations with partners like Microsoft and Databricks. The Customer Experience Centre in Hyderabad facilitates direct interaction and co-creation between customers and the R&D teams.

How is the company leveraging technologies like AI/ML, digital twins, and IoT to drive innovation?

AVEVA leverages AI/ML, digital twins, and IoT as interconnected components of a unified industrial intelligence strategy to drive innovation. This approach enriches software with AI, enabling industries to manage complexity, analyse data, and adapt through prediction, simulation, and prescriptive actions. For instance, companies like Nestlé used our advanced analytics to achieve up to 10% savings on Nesquik powder by optimising the production process. Similarly, ACCIONA utilises machine learning for real-time water parameter prediction, reducing chemical use and energy consumption while increasing production capacity. A digital twin also enabled the remote commissioning of a desalination plant in Saudi Arabia. Our industry-specific, AI-enhanced solutions deliver fit-for-purpose optimisations and accuracy, leading to significant improvements in productivity, efficiency, and sustainability.

What is AVEVA's technology and business roadmap for the next 12 months?

AVEVA's technology and business roadmap for the next year focuses on achieving its ambitions and establishing its 2030 sustainability framework. Key priorities include expanding opportunities for interns, graduates, and apprentices to 320 and raising average employee learning hours to 40. AVEVA will strengthen its R&D expertise in India, a strategic innovation hub, by increasing its R&D workforce by 5% annually. The roadmap prioritises developing solutions that improve industrial sustainability and efficiency, aiming to launch six sustainability innovation ideas annually and measure power consumption for its entire product portfolio. Continued advancement of AI, with a focus on use-case-led and industrial agentic AI solutions, remains a core element.