**Bengaluru**: Cognite, a leader in industrial AI, has announced the launch of a global capability centre in Bengaluru, set to open in March 2024. This facility aims to enhance AI solutions for asset-heavy industries while targeting local talent in AI and machine learning.
Cognite, a global leader in industrial artificial intelligence (AI) and data solutions, announced the opening of its new global capability centre (GCC) in Bengaluru, India, set to commence operations in March 2024. This move continues the company’s expansion following its initial establishments in Oslo, Texas, and Japan. The initiative is part of Cognite’s strategy to recruit highly skilled talent in AI and machine learning within the burgeoning technology landscape of India.
Cognite’s focus lies in providing bespoke data and AI solutions tailored specifically for asset-heavy industries, which include sectors such as manufacturing, oil and gas, and energy. These domains often grapple with complex interconnections among their various IT and operational technology (OT) systems. The company emphasises the need for streamlined access to a wide array of data sources to optimise operations.
Under the direction of Guru Ananthanarayanan, who has been in the role of managing director for Cognite India since August 2022, the company seeks to position its new centre in India as a key research and development hub. This centre will focus on scaling up Cognite’s proprietary agentic AI framework, known as Atlas AI.
“Large industrial companies have multiple IT and OT systems — SAP, Salesforce, ServiceNow, SharePoint folders, IoT sensors, SCADA systems, PLCs, and more,” Ananthanarayanan explained in an interview with Analytics India Magazine. “A service technician might have to access 10 to 15 different systems to gather relevant data.” Cognite’s platform aims to simplify this process by allowing end-users to log in and interact with complex datasets using natural language. The AI-driven system can efficiently obtain and analyse data from a variety of sources, transforming industrial AI into an intuitive experience comparable to using ChatGPT.
Atlas AI is built upon three fundamental pillars: asset performance, predictive reliability, and operational efficiency. The framework is designed to not only predict potential equipment failures but also to suggest viable solutions and allow for autonomous execution of those solutions, minimising the need for human input. Ananthanarayanan noted, “For companies like Aker BP, ExxonMobil, Yokogawa, and Vedanta, Cognite’s AI continuously monitors sensor data to predict failures before they happen… It doesn’t stop at prediction; it provides resolution options and executes them autonomously, ensuring uninterrupted operations.”
A critical aspect of Cognite’s innovation strategy centres around Atlas AI, which enables business users to easily create custom agents for root cause analysis without needing extensive programming knowledge. According to Ananthanarayanan, “With Atlas AI, a business user can simply type a request to generate an agent for root cause analysis of a specific asset… The AI handles the coding in the background and generates an agent that continuously monitors and provides insights.” This framework integrates various large language models (LLMs) from OpenAI, Meta, and Anthropic, selecting the most appropriate one based on the specific requirements of the task.
Unlike general AI platforms that cater to numerous sectors, Cognite concentrates on developing AI solutions that address the unique challenges faced by asset-intensive industries. Ananthanarayanan said, “Think of it as the difference between a general hospital and a neurosurgery specialty centre… We are specialists in industrial AI, delivering targeted solutions for manufacturing and energy companies.”
With the aim of building robust proprietary knowledge graphs that can contextualise data from disparate systems, the company addresses the inconsistencies often encountered in industrial data. “Our algorithms intelligently map these inconsistencies, providing users with a unified view of their assets,” Ananthanarayanan added, reinforcing the analogy of their platform, comparing it to a “ChatGPT for industrial AI.”
Bengaluru was chosen for the new GCC primarily due to its rich talent pool and extensive expertise in AI and data engineering. The company plans to recruit more than 150 engineers by the end of 2025, focusing on specialisations such as AI/ML, data science, and software engineering, along with industrial domain knowledge. Ananthanarayanan remarked, “While Pune and Hyderabad were considered, Bengaluru’s unmatched talent density made it the ideal choice,” highlighting the city’s significant pool of specialised professionals, particularly in niche areas like the OPC UA protocol.
As AI-driven automation continues to evolve job roles, Cognite is seeking engineers who not only possess traditional coding skills but also bring their own AI-agent tools to improve efficiency. “We are not just a backend development centre. India will lead end-to-end product ownership, from conceptualisation to implementation,” asserted Ananthanarayanan, indicating the strategic importance of the Bengaluru centre within Cognite’s global operations.
Source: Noah Wire Services
Subscribe to Industry Updates
