Honeywell and TCS join hands to push AI-led autonomous operations

Honeywell and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) have announced a strategic collaboration to help building and industrial operators move beyond basic automation and adopt enterprise-wide autonomous operations. 

The move brings together Honeywell’s strength in Operational Technology (OT) and industrial automation with TCS’s expertise in IT modernisation, cloud services, and consulting. The goal is simple on paper but ambitious in practice: connect shop floors and server rooms into one intelligent system.

Bridging the OT and IT divide

For decades, OT systems that run factories and buildings have operated separately from IT systems that manage data and enterprise software. That gap has often slowed decision-making and limited visibility.

Under the new initiative, Honeywell will work with TCS to create a unified digital foundation that supports real-time visibility, predictive intelligence, and autonomous process control. The collaboration will enable OT data to flow smoothly into customers’ IT systems.

Honeywell will bring its Honeywell Forge platform, an Internet of Things (IoT) based system that provides AI-powered analytics and dashboards. This includes Honeywell Forge for Industrials and Honeywell Forge for Buildings. TCS will contribute its cloud, IT, and consulting capabilities to integrate these systems at scale.

The companies say this combined approach will allow operators to deploy AI-driven autonomous operations that can perceive, analyse, act, and learn. In practical terms, that means systems that detect issues early, recommend actions, and in some cases, act automatically.

Focus on efficiency and faster decisions

Ashish Modi, President, Honeywell India and Asia Pacific, said that many customers run highly complex operations where OT and IT have historically been managed as separate domains.

“With new capabilities in 5G connectivity, cloud computing, and AI, we can now accelerate the OT and IT convergence to improve operations and data analysis through one cohesive system,” Modi said. He added that the shift is expected to improve safety, efficiency, and agility, while generating actionable insights from infrastructure data.

Anupam Singhal, President, Manufacturing Business Group, TCS, said the partnership is centred on enabling enterprises to adopt autonomous workflows at scale.

“By combining the deep industry expertise of both Honeywell and TCS with our strong digital and AI capabilities, we are enabling organisations to run more connected, efficient, and sustainable operations,” Singhal said. He noted that the collaboration is aimed at long-term value creation and smarter decision-making.

Cybersecurity and phased rollout

As part of the collaboration, Honeywell will also leverage its AI-powered industrial and building technologies along with OT cybersecurity solutions. These offerings are intended to improve process efficiency, strengthen workforce capabilities, and enhance asset uptime across key sectors.

The initiative will first be offered to customers in India. It will then expand to other global regions, including the United States and the Middle East.

For young engineers and tech professionals watching the rise of AI in industry, this partnership signals a clear trend: factories and buildings are no longer just physical assets. They are becoming data-driven systems, where algorithms sit alongside machines, quietly making decisions in real time.