AVEVA, IMD Launch Report On Digital Ecosystems

AVEVA and IMD have launched the inaugural Industrial Intelligence Report on Digital Ecosystems and the Future of Connected Industries during the AVEVA World 2026 in Milan.

The report, unveiled during a fireside chat between AVEVA CEO Caspar Herzberg and IMD Professor Michael Wade, draws on insights from more than 275 interviews with industry leaders across 12 sectors globally.

According to the findings, while 74% of leaders view digital ecosystems as a top strategic priority, only 27% said they share data substantially or extensively with ecosystem partners. The report highlights integration complexity, legacy systems and weak governance as some of the major barriers preventing organizations from fully realizing their digital ecosystem ambitions.

The research combines quantitative analysis with case studies and interviews involving organizations including the Port of Rotterdam and industrial operations in Kwinana, Australia. It explores how companies are using industrial intelligence to build, orchestrate and scale connected business ecosystems.

The report notes that organizations are increasingly turning to digital ecosystems to address broader business challenges such as accelerating innovation, managing supply chain volatility and advancing decarbonization efforts across global operations.

However, it also points to a persistent gap between ambition and execution, with many organizations still struggling to operationalize ecosystem strategies despite growing investment and interest in connected technologies.

“With this collaboration with IMD, 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,” said Caspar Herzberg, CEO, AVEVA.

The report further emphasizes that organizations already seeing success from digital ecosystems are achieving measurable operational value through improved use of industrial intelligence. However, governance structures, technology integration and organizational alignment continue to present challenges.

“Governance, integration and learning matter more right now than algorithms. Ecosystems are already delivering operational value. The next phase is about converting that foundation into strategic advantage through better data sharing, coordination, clearer roles and more deliberate leadership… 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,” said Michael Wade, Director of IMD Global Center for Digital and AI Transformation and Professor of Strategy and Digital, IMD.