Schneider Electric Leverages Cognite to Scale Industrial AI

Schneider Electric is building a unified data foundation to expand its industrial AI infrastructure. Credit: Schneider Electric

CEO Olivier Blum spearheaded Schneider Electric's $3.1 billion acquisition of Cognite, laying the groundwork for a unified data foundation that will scale industrial AI.

Schneider Electric has announced its plan to acquire 100% of Cognite Holding B.V. in an all-cash deal valued at $3.1 billion.

As AI evolves from supporting analytics to driving operations, the energy management and automation company intends to leverage Cognite's expertise as an industrial data and AI software provider.

The acquisition aims to establish Schneider Electric as a global leader in industrial AI infrastructure.

To deploy AI within manufacturing operations, Schneider Electric needs more than just models. It requires a unified, contextualized industrial data foundation where AI can operate safely at scale.

The company states that Cognite's capabilities enable this foundation. The AI firm's platform offers a unified industrial data model with agentic AI features.

This enables customers to operationalize AI across plant operations, asset management, and engineering workflows.

According to a Schneider Electric statement, the deal will "create a unified platform for the next phase of intelligence in industrial AI."

Olivier Blum, CEO of Schneider Electric. Credit: Schneider Electric

Turning Data Into a Competitive Advantage

Olivier Blum, CEO of Schneider Electric, says the acquisition will bolster AVEVA, Schneider Electric's industrial software subsidiary.

“Cognite has built something rare—a truly industrial-grade AI platform that transforms complex operational data into a competitive edge,” he explains.

The deal strengthens AVEVA in the fastest-growing market segments and positions Schneider Electric strategically as industrial intelligence gains momentum.

Olivier notes: “I have been deeply impressed by the world-class technology team and am confident their unique AI expertise will accelerate intelligence across Schneider Electric’s portfolio.”

The company has long held that ‘the energy transition demands intelligence’ and that unlocking both requires AI.

Olivier says: “By integrating Cognite into Schneider Electric and AVEVA, we combine the world's most comprehensive energy management and automation infrastructure with the software and AI capabilities to make it natively intelligent.

“Together, we go beyond connecting systems. We give them the ability to think, adapt, and act. This is what industrial intelligence looks like at scale.”

Scaling AI to this extent could also benefit each company's operations at the employee level.

As AI continues to permeate all industries, companies are racing to find talent with AI-ready skills.

Businesses must also strike a balance between AI, technology, and human workers.

Discussing AI at the employee level, Tina Kao Mylon, Chief Talent and Diversity Officer at Schneider Electric, says the intersection of people and technology enables the company to improve 'how employees take ownership and agency in their own career and skill development.'

Tina Kao Mylon, Chief Talent and Diversity Officer at Schneider Electric

Driving Increased Investment

Founded in 2017, Cognite now employs over 800 people across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific. The company specializes in cloud-native data and AI platforms.

The firm's technology enables integration and contextualization of industrial data through a unified data model and knowledge graph.

This supports advanced analytics and AI-driven applications for asset-intensive industries.

In 2025, Cognite's annual revenue surpassed $170 million, driven by rapid adoption of the Atlas AI platform—a low-code industrial AI agent workbench.

The workbench equips agents with real-time, AI-ready operational technology and engineering data.

Cognite's scalable, open architecture, combined with AVEVA’s CONNECT capabilities, will enable analytics and industrial AI to process industrial data across customers' existing data ecosystems and investments.

Since the AI boom began, Schneider Electric's shares have risen over 26% in 2025 alone.

This success is partly due to investors betting on companies that provide the infrastructure needed as demand for AI-ready systems in manufacturing continues to grow.

As of last month, Schneider Electric remains the fourth most valuable company in France, with a market capitalization of approximately $188 billion.