Anthropic & IFS: Deploying Industrial AI for Maintenance

Industrial operations have traditionally relied on reactive maintenance strategies that address equipment failures after they occur, resulting in costly downtime and production losses. 

In response, Anthropic, the AI safety company that develops Claude language models, has formed a partnership with IFS Nexus Black to deploy predictive AI systems that prevent these failures before they happen.

The collaboration centres on Resolve, a system built on Anthropic’s Claude models that analyses equipment data across manufacturing, energy and infrastructure operations. 

IFS Nexus Black is the AI innovation division of IFS, an enterprise software provider that specialises in asset management systems for capital-intensive industries.

The partnership targets sectors including aerospace and defence, construction and engineering, manufacturing, energy, utilities and natural resources, as well as telecommunications. 

These industries operate infrastructure where equipment failures can halt production or disrupt essential services.

Kriti Sharma, CEO at IFS Nexus Black, says the partnership addresses requirements specific to environments where failures carry consequences beyond financial costs. 

“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,” Kriti says.

“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.”

How Resolve processes multi-modal data for predictive maintenance

Resolve interprets multiple data types simultaneously, including video footage, audio recordings, temperature measurements, pressure readings and technical schematics. 

This multi-modal capability allows the system to identify patterns that indicate potential equipment failures before they occur.

The system optimises schedules by connecting the right technician with the right parts and location, while voice recognition and automatic transcription reduce administrative burdens and improve data collection.

Industries operating heavy assets face immense challenges from aging infrastructure, supply chain disruptions and increasing demands thanks to reindustrialisation and AI infrastructure build-out. 

Consumer-grade AI tools are inadequate for these asset-heavy environments, making specialised industrial AI like Resolve crucial for operations.

Garvan Doyle, Applied AI Lead at Anthropic, says the partnership combines technical capabilities with sector expertise: “Anthropic combines frontier AI capabilities with the safety and reliability that industries require.

“IFS 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.”

Success stories with Resolve 

William Grant & Sons, the Scottish distillery that produces Grant’s whisky and Hendrick’s gin, is feeling the practical benefits of Resolve. 

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

Before deploying Resolve, 38% of repairs were emergency-driven, causing costly downtime. Now, technicians diagnose faults by interpreting sounds, video evidence and pressure fluctuations, enabling predictive maintenance.

This shift has not only dramatically reduced downtime and increased output, but is projected to save William Grant & Sons around £8.4m (US$11.1m) annually.

Badri Narasimhan, Chief Technology & Business Growth Officer for William Grant & Sons, says the implementation addressed operational realities: “IFS Nexus Black understood our industry – they weren’t trying to apply something generic.

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

Beyond manufacturing, the partnership’s impact extends to disaster response. Weather-related losses now equal 36% of US GDP, with the US suffering 27 weather disasters last year causing billion-dollar damages and nearly doubling since 2019.

Resolve aids disaster recovery by using predictive analytics to forecast impact zones and prioritise technician deployment. It enables mutual aid coordination among adjacent power companies, offers onsite repair guidance via image and video analysis and manages parts logistics automatically. 

These capabilities enable utilities to restore power 40% faster after disasters, meaning quicker recovery for communities, hospitals and schools.

“Together, we’re deploying AI where stakes are highest,” Garvan says.