Liam Hurley, president for the Middle East and Africa at Emerson/Image: Supplied
Emerson is intensifying its focus on industrial AI and autonomy as the energy sector races toward digital transformation. At ADIPEC 2025, Liam Hurley, president for the Middle East and Africa at Emerson, outlined how the company’s technology roadmap, regional localisation strategy, and integration of AspenTech are converging to deliver a new era of predictive, data-driven, and sustainable industrial operations.
Emerson has long been synonymous with automation technology, from its Rosemount sensors and Fisher valve portfolio to advanced systems that convert plant-level data into actionable intelligence. But as industrial AI evolves, the company is embedding a deeper layer of predictive analytics and intelligence across the energy value chain.
“Emerson has always been a leader in automation technology,” Hurley explained. “Our focus is on ensuring that we convert data sourced from sensors and valves across the plant into information that helps our customers operate most effectively and efficiently—improving productivity, safety, reliability, and availability.”
Recent R&D investments and the acquisition of AspenTech have allowed Emerson to elevate this capability. “We’ve looked at how we can create increased analytics capability to support top performance and provide more predictive capabilities to our customers as they seek to achieve their energy goals,” Hurley added.
Unlocking synergy through AspenTech integration
Since integrating AspenTech, Emerson has strengthened its position as a software-driven industrial technology company. The collaboration has created new synergies between automation and optimisation—core enablers of autonomous plant operations.
“As we advance our more software-centered approach, we’re providing an enterprise view that leverages AspenTech’s capabilities to support more autonomous applications across full operations,” Hurley said.
This combination of Emerson’s control systems and AspenTech’s analytics portfolio allows energy operators to optimise production, minimise downtime, and accelerate progress toward autonomous-by-design facilities.
As the Middle East accelerates its energy transition, Emerson is helping operators use AI, automation, and analytics to reduce emissions and optimise performance.
“It’s the application of that advanced analytics capability—focusing on areas like emissions monitoring to prevent emissions at the source through our sensing technologies, and then adding advanced analytics to automate carbon capture processes,” Hurley explained.
This approach positions Emerson as a trusted partner for national energy companies and industrial operators navigating the dual challenge of decarbonisation and energy security.
Hurley described cybersecurity as an integral part of Emerson’s digital DNA. “We operate a zero-trust view in terms of how we design our cybersecurity capabilities,” he said. “It’s important for us as we support our customers on their automation journey because often these capabilities are applied in running facilities or greenfield environments.”
Emerson’s framework emphasises security, reliability, and scalability, built on international standards such as IEC 62443. “The important aspect is that it’s secure and reliable, and that we can scale that cybersecurity capability as we scale our solutions,” Hurley noted.
Autonomy on the horizon
Asked about the realism of fully autonomous operations, Hurley acknowledged that the shift is already underway. “Customers are talking to us about autonomous operations—we’re hearing that consistently, particularly in the region,” he said. “Challenges around site distribution, accessibility, climate, and safety are driving a need for more autonomy.”
Emerson is already conducting pilot programmes with regional partners to demonstrate autonomous capabilities across both onshore and offshore facilities. “It’s driving increased efficiency, productivity, and naturally safety and security for our customers,” he said. “I believe there is a real drive to increase autonomy while elevating the capabilities of people and driving increased value from the talent we have here.”
With the Middle East’s energy landscape expanding—from oil and gas to renewables and hydrogen—Emerson’s regional pipeline remains strong. “Our pipeline is healthy,” Hurley confirmed. “We see investments across the region in the energy transition landscape. It’s not an ‘or,’ but an ‘and’—there’s demand across all aspects of energy, which is very exciting for Emerson.”
Localisation remains a central pillar of Emerson’s regional growth. “Our focus on localisation and in-country value is about being close to our customers—developing local talent and executing projects transparently with strong customer involvement,” Hurley said. “Our investments in the UAE, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia are about ensuring we have the workforce and infrastructure needed for long-term sustainability.”
Looking ahead, Emerson will continue refining its industrial AI roadmap while advancing automation as the backbone of future-ready energy facilities. “We’ve evolved into a pure-play automation company and will continue to focus on delivering increased value from our existing portfolio, investing in the continued evolution of our software products, sensors, and valve technologies,” Hurley said.
The goal, he explained, is to enable customers to achieve a true enterprise-level view of operations, where contextualised data drives decisions across the entire asset lifecycle. “That’s what will allow them to truly drive efficiency and autonomy in their operations.”
