AVEVA and IMD have unveiled their inaugural Industrial Intelligence Report on Digital Ecosystems and the Future of Connected Industries, highlighting a widening gap between industrial companies’ digital ambitions and their ability to execute collaborative ecosystem strategies.
The report, launched at AVEVA World 2026 in Milan, draws on insights from more than 275 senior executives spanning 12 global industry sectors. Combining quantitative research with interviews from organizations including the Port of Rotterdam and industrial leaders in Kwinana, the study examines how businesses are building connected digital ecosystems powered by operational data, AI and industrial software platforms.
A key finding from the report underscores a major contradiction in industrial transformation efforts: while 74% of executives identify digital ecosystems as a strategic priority, only 27% say they substantially or extensively share data with ecosystem partners.
According to the report, many organizations are pursuing ecosystem-driven models to tackle increasingly complex challenges such as accelerating innovation, managing supply chain volatility and reducing emissions across global operations. However, barriers including legacy infrastructure, integration complexity and weak governance continue to slow progress.
The report defines “industrial intelligence” as the organizational capability that combines operational technology (OT), information technology (IT) and artificial intelligence (AI) to enable connected, data-driven decision-making across industrial ecosystems.
Speaking during a fireside discussion at the event, Caspar Herzberg said the partnership with IMD aims to go beyond understanding why companies are moving toward digital ecosystems.
“Our ambition is not merely to understand the motivations behind the move to digital ecosystems, but to define the frameworks, competencies and leadership practices that will concretely enable companies to transcend silos and build more adaptive, ecosystem-driven operating models,” Herzberg said.
Michael Wade, Director of IMD’s Global Center for Digital and AI Transformation, emphasized that governance and coordination are becoming more critical than the underlying AI technologies themselves.
“Governance, integration and learning matter more right now than algorithms,” Wade said. “Industrial sectors have decades of experience collaborating out of operational necessity. What is changing is that data, AI and connected platforms are turning those collaborations into real-time, intelligence-driven systems.”
The findings suggest that while industrial organizations increasingly recognize the strategic importance of connected ecosystems, success will depend on their ability to modernize governance structures, improve interoperability and foster deeper data collaboration across partners.