Insider Brief
- Schneider Electric has introduced a service designed to help manufacturers modernize aging automation systems without replacing existing infrastructure, combining its EcoStruxure Automation Expert software with HPE’s SimpliVity hybrid cloud platform.
- The service allows industrial operators to move toward software-defined automation gradually while continuing to use existing control systems, avoiding large-scale replacement projects and upfront capital expenditures.
- The service includes infrastructure from HPE, software-defined automation from Schneider Electric and consulting, migration and cybersecurity services, and is being demonstrated this week at Automate 2026 in Chicago.
Schneider Electric has introduced a service so manufacturers can modernize aging automation systems without replacing existing infrastructure or disrupting operations.
According to the company, the offering combines Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure Automation Expert software with HPE‘s SimpliVity hybrid cloud platform, allowing industrial companies to gradually update control systems while continuing to use existing programmable logic controllers and distributed control systems.
The new service is designed to let companies move toward software-defined automation without undertaking large-scale infrastructure replacement projects. The company said customers can modernize systems incrementally while maintaining existing operations.
Gwenaelle Huet, executive vice president of industrial automation at Schneider Electric, pointed out that manufacturers are increasingly preparing for AI-driven operations, including generative AI, autonomous software agents and AI-powered robotics. She said reaching that stage will require more flexible automation systems built on open software architectures and hybrid cloud infrastructure.
Most of of all, Huet pointed out, it eliminates the large, upfront expense to companies.
“For too long, industrial enterprises have been forced to choose between operational continuity and technological modernization,” Huet nnoted in the announcement. “Together Schneider Electric and HPE are removing that trade-off entirely — giving customers a single, governed foundation to modernize at their own pace. But this is about more than technology. Moving from CapEx to OpEx for industrial automation is a fundamental mindset shift for the industry — one that changes how automation is funded, consumed, and continuously improved.”
The offering includes three primary components:
- Infrastructure provided through HPE compute, storage and data protection technologies.
- Software-defined automation built on EcoStruxure Automation Expert.
- Consulting, migration, cybersecurity and lifecycle management services.
Schneider Electric said the platform is based on open automation standards, allowing customers to deploy automation software across compatible hardware platforms rather than relying on a single vendor’s ecosystem.
The company and HPE are demonstrating the combined system this week at Automate 2026 in Chicago.
