Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has launched the TCS Digital Twindex report for the manufacturing industry at Hannover Messe 2025 in Germany - one of the world's leading industrial technology trade fairs. The report reveals how AI-powered digital twins are transforming manufacturing, driving efficiency, adaptability, and resilience.
Drawing on insights from industry pioneers and technology leaders such as Siemens, Schneider Electric, NVIDIA, and JLR, alongside TCS executives and futurists, the report presents an in-depth view of digital twin technology adoption and the rise of AI-powered anticipatory ecosystems. Through qualitative research, it captures curated, future-focused conversations and insights from interviews with industry leaders.
TCS's multi-decade presence in the manufacturing industry, deep domain expertise, advanced digital twin solutions, and cutting-edge Generative AI capabilities further lend depth to the report and credibility to shape the dialogue on adaptive, AI-first enterprises.
Anupam Singhal, President - Manufacturing, TCS, said, "We stand at the threshold of a new manufacturing era, driven by digital twins, Generative AI, quantum-powered advancements, and a deep commitment to everything from safety to sustainability. The 'TCS Digital Twindex Report for Future-Ready Manufacturing' encapsulates our vision for building intelligent, future-ready, and adaptive enterprises - redefining industry competitiveness and enriching the lives of citizens and communities around the globe."
Amid the rising need for automation and sustainability, the report offers a strategic blueprint for manufacturers to thrive in an AI and digital twin-driven era. It highlights how AI-powered digital twins, collaborative robots (Cobots), agentic AI, physical AI, and edge computing are converging to create smarter, more sustainable, and human-centric manufacturing ecosystems - enabling the shift toward anticipatory, AI-first enterprises.
Overall, the TCS Digital Twindex report identifies five key trends shaping the future of manufacturing:
Industry 4.5 and Beyond: The next phase of manufacturing evolution, where AI, automation, and digital twins converge to enable anticipatory, adaptive enterprises.
Digital Twins as Real-Time Data Fabric: Acting as the connective tissue for enterprise intelligence - synchronizing data in real time to drive predictive insights and operational resilience.
AI as Orchestrator of Intelligence: AI systems are evolving beyond narrow use cases to orchestrate decisions, simulations, and optimizations across the manufacturing value chain.
Modular and Intelligent Manufacturing: The shift toward decentralized, plug-and-play production models powered by AI and digital twins, enabling hyper-localized, responsive, and intelligent manufacturing at scale.
The Human-AI Symphony in Manufacturing: AI will play a growing role in enhancing human capabilities, supporting better decision-making, improving safety, and enabling seamless collaboration between people and intelligent systems on the factory floor.
Rev Lebaredian, VP of Omniverse and Simulation Technology at NVIDIA, "Physical and Industrial AI are born in simulation, where they can be tested and validated before being deployed in the real world. By bridging the gap between the digital and physical, the world's heavy industries are paving the way for software-defined manufacturing and intelligent, autonomous systems."
As manufacturers embrace AI and automation, experts underscore that digitization is the essential first step. Without digitized processes, true automation and intelligence deployment remain out of reach.
Helenio Gilabert, Global Head of Offer Creation, Industrial Automation Services, Schneider Electric, said,
"If it's not digitized, you cannot automate it. If you cannot automate it, you cannot deploy intelligence on top of it. To fully harness AI and digital twins, start with a clear digitization strategy - only then can you move toward AI-driven o...