IFS and Anthropic: An AI Alliance For Heavy Industry

IFS Nexus Black and Anthropic have formed a strategic partnership to advance the use of AI in some of the world’s most demanding industries.

The collaboration aims to bring AI-powered solutions to sectors including construction and engineering, aerospace and defence, manufacturing and energy.

The initiative signals a move towards greater AI integration within these fields, focusing on improving operational resilience, safety and reliability.

At the core of the partnership is the launch of Resolve, an AI-powered industrial solution created to help prevent expensive system failures and improve operational efficiency.

Built using Anthropic’s latest AI models, including Claude, Resolve is designed to provide actionable intelligence to frontline workers, helping them maintain infrastructure and minimise downtime.

AI integration for industrial operations

The collaboration combines the industrial AI expertise of IFS Nexus Black, a strategic innovation programme within IFS, with Anthropic’s advanced AI capabilities and commitment to safety.

This partnership specifically targets the industrial sector, where asset reliability, safety compliance and uptime are critical priorities. It marks a key development as an AI leader with advanced and responsibly developed models joins forces with an industrial software provider that has deep expertise in heavy asset operations.

“Partnering with Anthropic is about more than just their best-in-class AI models; it is also their commitment to responsible, safe AI – that’s non-negotiable when serving industries where some days life is on the line,” says Kriti Sharma, CEO of IFS Nexus Black.

Kriti adds: “These hardcore industries are where the real AI revolution is happening. It’s not the AI of tabloid headlines, it’s the lifeline for the workers that keep the lights on, the cupboards stocked and the world turning.”

Harnessing multi-modal data for predictive maintenance

Resolve’s capabilities are designed to address the real-world challenges faced by technicians and field operators.

The system can interpret multi-modal data inputs such as video, audio, temperature and pressure readings alongside complex schematics to predict and prevent equipment faults. It optimises schedules by matching the right technician with the necessary parts and location.

Additionally, its voice recognition and automatic transcription features reduce administrative tasks and enhance data collection.

Many asset-heavy industries, including construction and manufacturing, face significant challenges from ageing infrastructure and supply chain disruptions. Standard consumer-grade AI tools are often not sufficient for these environments, making specialised industrial AI solutions like Resolve essential for modern operations.

“Anthropic combines frontier AI capabilities with the safety and reliability that industries require,” says Garvan Doyle, Applied AI Lead at Anthropic.

"FS has unquestionable expertise in the complex realities of the industrial world – they have proven they can activate and apply AI in capital-intensive and asset-heavy environments. Together we’re deploying AI where stakes are highest.”

Real-world AI application at William Grant & Sons

The practical benefits of Resolve are already being seen at the Scottish distillery William Grant & Sons, producers of Grant’s whisky and Hendrick’s gin.

By integrating AI to analyse complex plant schematics and sensor data, the distillery has moved from a reactive to a proactive maintenance strategy.

Before implementing Resolve, William Grant & Sons reported that 38% of its repairs were emergency-driven, leading to costly downtime.

The new system allows technicians to diagnose faults by interpreting sound, video evidence and pressure fluctuations, enabling predictive maintenance.

This change has greatly reduced downtime and is projected to save William Grant & Sons an estimated £8.4m (US$11.1m) annually.

“IFS Nexus Black understood our industry – they weren’t trying to apply something generic,” explains Badri Narasimhan, Chief Technology & Business Growth Officer for William Grant & Sons.

"It’s innovation that’s practical, fast and actually connected to results, not theory.”

The partnership’s impact also extends to disaster response, an area of growing concern. According to reports, weather-related losses now equal 36% of US GDP and in the last year alone, the US experienced 27 weather disasters that caused billion-dollar damages.

Resolve can assist in disaster recovery by using predictive analytics to forecast impact zones and prioritise the deployment of technicians.

It also facilitates mutual aid coordination among power companies, provides onsite repair guidance through image and video analysis and manages parts logistics automatically.

These capabilities enable utilities to restore power 40% faster after disasters, speeding up recovery for communities and essential services.