Global study shows Asia ranks second in current autonomous maturity, just behind GCC, but aims to lead the pack in five years

Singapore, September 15, 2026 -  Schneider Electric , a global energy technology leader, today unveils research showing Asia rapidly emerging as a global hub for autonomous energy technologies, ranking second worldwide in maturity, just behind the GCC, but with ambitions to be number one in five years.

Schneider Electric’s  Global Autonomous Maturity Report shows autonomous operations  as a top strategic priority for Asia's energy sector, with 85% of leaders ranking it a high priority amid mounting cost, workforce, and decarbonization pressures. Almost half (44%) report to already operate at full autonomy, compared to a third globally, with high ambitions to increase this to 64% within five years. While the pace of adoption is high across the region, it varies sharply by market, with India and China showing faster progress than Japan.

The rapid deployment of autonomous technologies across Asia’s energy sector is powered particularly by the rapid growth of its two economic powerhouses, China and India:

China: the world’s largest producer of electricity is accelerating a shift from traditional manufacturing to high-end automation. Its 15th Five-Year Plan (2026–2030),  supported by broader industrial modernization efforts , is driving the adoption of AI, robotics and predictive maintenance across energy and heavy industry. Baosteel, the country’s largest modern steel producer, has already modernized its crane operations with Schneider Electric, reaching 98% autonomous operation and a 15–30% boost in output.

India: close behind, is pursuing an equally ambitious path, making autonomous technology central to its economic strategy through the “Make in India” campaign. Digital technologies – including agentic AI, machine learning, robotics and inspection drones – are expected to account for around 40% of energy-sector spend through to the end of the decade, positioning the industry for a step-change in efficiency and output.

Japan: Asia’s traditional manufacturing and innovation hub continues to lead on efficiency. As part of its long-term energy transition strategy, the country’s 7th Strategic Energy Plan targets 50% renewable power generation by 2040 – more than double today’s share – a move set to accelerate the adoption of more sophisticated autonomous technologies across the country’s energy value chain.

“For hard-to-abate sectors, oil and gas in particular, autonomy is becoming the fastest route to decarbonization, and a critical pathway to meet both short ‑ and long ‑ term decarbonization goals while strengthening resilience and safety,” said Devan Pillay, President of Schneider’s Heavy Industries Segment.  “We are working with customers across Asia on real-world, AI ‑ enabled autonomous deployments that have already proven to improve plant ‑ wide efficiency, reducing downtime and cutting emissions.” 

Other key insights from the report:

• AI and machine learning was ranked by over half (55%) of Asian energy leaders as the most important technology enabling autonomy, with particularly strong emphasis in Japan (73%). 
• The top drivers for autonomous technology adoption include reducing costs and boosting profits (39% vs 35% globally, rising to 55% in Japan) and gaining competitive advantage (38% vs 34% globally).
• Barriers differ by market:  In line with many other global regions, h igh upfront investment costs (45%) most hold back progress in India, workforce skills shortages slow China (38%, versus 28% globally), and internal resistance to change is Japan’s biggest hurdle (42%, versus 27% globally).
• Despite these variations, Asian executives broadly agree on the risks of slow adoption: 65% expect significant increases in operating costs, and 55% cited rising carbon emissions as a threat. This concern was highest in India (64%) - which may reflect the government’s clean energy push. In China, concerns about lost competitiveness (62%) were as prominent as worries about operating costs (62%). 

“ The embrace of autonomy in the energy sector is exceeding expectations , with open, software-defined automation leading the next phase of energy innovation  in the process industries sphere, ” added Gaurav Sharma, Independent Energy Market Analyst and contributor to the report. “Rising energy demand, accelerating clean energy investment, advances in AI and automation, and supportive policies are creating the ideal conditions for autonomous energy systems to scale rapidly  in Asia's high-growth markets .”

As energy operators move toward autonomous operations, industrial intelligence helps turn data into action, bringing together information from across the plant and asset lifecycle so teams can make better decisions.  T he combination of Schneider Electric’s process control and power management with AVEVA’s digital technologies and industrial intelligence delivers an integrated software-defined architecture that provides real-time visibility and enables  AI-powered digital twins that can predict, adapt and self-optimize with minimal intervention.

ENDS

Notes to Editor: 

The research was commissioned in partnership with  Censuswide  and  Development Economics . It captures insights from 400 senior energy executives across 12 countries in four key regions — Asia, North America, Europe, and the GCC — supported by desk research and conversations with industry stakeholders and commentators across the global energy and chemicals sector.

The framework used in the study is the  Autonomous Operations Maturity Model (AOMM) developed by ARC Advisory Group, which outlines a five-step hierarchy for adoption of autonomous technology, with Level 5 representing full autonomy. The report data reveals: 

The global average of current maturity is reported at 3.52 out of 5, between “Advanced Regulatory” (where technology is in control of specific scenarios and humans are alerted when unexpected events occur) and “Select Autonomy” (systems run autonomously in specific scenarios, e.g., can detect and correct issues, but humans still needed for repairs and resets).

To enhance clarity and aid understanding of these levels, “Advanced Regulatory” has been assigned as “Advancing Maturity” and “Select Autonomy” as “High Maturity” in Schneider Electric’s  Global Autonomous Maturity Report. The percentage equivalent of level 3.52 has been calculated as approximately 70% autonomy.

The global average ambition for 2030 is to reach level 4.02 (High Maturity, approximately 80% autonomy), where systems can operate autonomously across defined scenarios with humans overseeing, correcting, and optimizing when needed.