ABB and Microsoft Corp. have  recently announced a strategic partnership to help industrial customers create new value with digital solutions. Customers will benefit from the unique combination of Microsoft’s intelligent cloud and ABB’s deep domain knowledge and extensive portfolio of industrial solutions.

The two partners are committed to empowering digital transformation in customer segments such as robotics, marine and ports, electric vehicles and renewable energy. By selecting Microsoft Azure as the cloud for its integrated connectivity platform, ABB’s customers will now have access to an enterprise-grade cloud infrastructure that benefits from billions of dollars of ongoing investment.

“Together with ABB, we are providing industrial customers with the digital technology and cloud platform to empower every person, team and business system within an organization to glean new insights and drive faster decision-making to seize new growth and opportunities,” said Satya Nadella, CEO, Microsoft.

“This partnership will provide unique benefits to our customers in utilities, industry, transport and infrastructure, building on the combined strength of Microsoft and ABB,” said ABB CEO Ulrich Spiesshofer. “Building on our installed base of more than 70 million connected devices and more than 70,000 digital control systems, the next step is to develop one of the world’s largest industrial cloud platforms.”

The ABB Ability offering, announced today, combines ABB’s portfolio of digital solutions and services across all customer segments, cementing ABB’s leadership in the energy and fourth industrial revolution. ABB’s new integrated cloud platform will be a key enabler for ABB Ability and is expected to create a large, open, digital industrial ecosystem for customers, partners, suppliers and developers.

Together, ABB and Microsoft will accelerate digital solutions that improve customers’ productivity by increasing uptime, speed and yield. As ABB standardizes its platform on Azure, and expands its leadership in energy and the fourth industrial revolution, the company will take full advantage of Azure services such as Azure IoT Suite and Cortana Intelligence Suite to capitalize on insights gathered at every level from device, to system, to enterprise, to cloud.

Microsoft and ABB have a long history of successful collaboration, and have delivered transformational end-to-end solutions across several industries including Smart Grids, Marine and Ports, and Electric Vehicles Charging Infrastructure.