thyssenkrupp AG and GlobalLogic, a Hitachi Group Company, have launched a strategic alliance aimed at reshaping the operational backbone of heavy industry through autonomous robotics and Physical AI.
The partnership is designed to fuse thyssenkrupp’s industrial scale and engineering depth with Hitachi’s end-to-end digital innovation ecosystem, spanning research, design, and enterprise software.
The companies say the goal is to accelerate real-world industrial transformation through a “Lab-to-Scale” pipeline that connects research breakthroughs, digital strategy, and enterprise-grade engineering into deployable AI systems.
At the center of the initiative is a push to eliminate the traditional gap between factory-floor data and business decision-making. By integrating operational technology with IT systems, the alliance aims to enable real-time autonomous control systems, robotics, and drone-based inspection capabilities in hazardous industrial environments.
The companies also plan to move beyond experimentation and into deployment of “Physical AI” systems that convert complex industrial data into measurable economic and operational outcomes, with a focus on safety, servitization, and accelerating the energy transition.
The collaboration is structured around two core workstreams.
The first, the Data Intelligence Layer and Autonomous Operations, will see GlobalLogic deploy a Unified Data Layer (UDL) architecture for thyssenkrupp. The system is intended to unify operational and business data into a shared semantic foundation, enabling autonomous robotics and drones to operate on real-time, AI-driven decision-making.
In high-risk environments, the system will support the deployment of autonomous “Robocams” and drones for inspections and precision measurements, reducing human exposure to dangerous conditions while improving operational insight.
The second focus is Speed to Decarbonization, where the partners aim to accelerate engineering and project delivery for energy transition initiatives. An intelligence platform will be used to convert unstructured technical documentation into actionable data, helping reduce delays in engineering cycles and streamline “Quote-to-Cash” processes for green energy projects.
Miguel López, CEO of thyssenkrupp AG and thyssenkrupp Decarbon Technologies, described the alliance as a pivotal moment in the company’s transformation.
"thyssenkrupp is in the midst of its most significant transformation in history. By joining forces with Hitachi and GlobalLogic, we are ensuring that we are backed by the world’s most advanced digital capabilities. This alliance is a cornerstone of our strategy to lead the industrial sector into a sustainable, data-driven future,” says López.
"Decarbonizing heavy industry is a race against time. The integration of advanced AI allows us to better manage the immense technical and administrative complexity of the energy transition, moving from unstructured documentation to actionable intelligence at a pace that was previously impossible.”
Srini Shankar, President & CEO of GlobalLogic Inc. and CEO of Hitachi Digital Services, emphasized the convergence of AI and industrial expertise.
"The future will be defined by organizations that can seamlessly harness the power of advanced AI, edge computing, data and inference, and combine it with deep industrial expertise. Our extensive credentials in Physical AI, from servitization to industrial automation to operations intelligence, will complement thyssenkrupp’s leadership in heavy engineering to create a lasting competitive advantage.”
Nadja Håkansson, COO of thyssenkrupp Decarbon Technologies and CEO of thyssenkrupp Uhde, framed Physical AI as a core industrial shift.
“Physical AI marks the next step in industrial transformation – bringing intelligence from the digital world into real-world operations. By enabling machines to sense, decide, and act autonomously, it unlocks entirely new levels of efficiency, safety, and scalability.
"For thyssenkrupp Decarbon Technologies, physical AI is not just an innovation topic, but a core driver of our future business and our ability to deliver sustainable, high-performance solutions. Our collaboration with Hitachi accelerates this path and strengthens our leadership in next-generation industrial technologies.”
Timothy Morey, Head of Method, a GlobalLogic Inc. company, highlighted the human-centered approach behind the transformation: “Real innovation happens at the intersection of empathy and engineering. We are bringing together brilliant minds from all involved organizations to de-risk these complex industrial transformations, ensuring that technology always serves the people on the front lines of global industry."
