PETALING JAYA: Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas) has saved more than US$33 million (RM135.5 million) after deploying British software provider Aveva Group plc’s predictive analytics system.
This saving comes at an opportune time when Malaysia’s state energy firm aligns with national goals to build a more digital and low-carbon economy.
Aveva SEA market leader Thomas Phang said the technology acts as an early warning platform that helps Petronas detect equipment failures ahead of time and improve operational resilience.
“Our shared intent is to transform successful implementations into repeatable, commercial solutions that can be scaled across industries. These solutions will be tested in Malaysia but built for global relevance,” he told SunBiz.
With Petronas contributing technical know-how and delivery capabilities and Aveva providing cutting-edge digital engineering tools, these solutions will be tested in Malaysia but built for global relevance, he said.
Furthermore, both organisations are committed to joint sales and marketing initiatives to promote these innovations globally. “This means Malaysia will not only benefit from advanced digital deployments locally but can also position itself as a regional leader in decarbonisation and digital transformation across multiple sectors.”
At its core, Phang said, the partnership centres on three key pillars – joint solution development, commercialisation and global scaling.
“By combining Petronas’ deep domain expertise and operational experience with Aveva’s industry-leading software and SaaS capabilities, we will co-develop solutions that address real-world challenges, optimising plant performance, enhancing energy efficiency, and embedding sustainability into daily operations.”
The collaboration follows a memorandum of understanding signed during Aveva World San Francisco 2023, to jointly develop and commercialise new digital and sustainability solutions across multiple industries.
Under the agreement, both organisations will collaborate on joint product innovation, knowledge-sharing, and global marketing initiatives to accelerate digital transformation across multiple sectors including energy, manufacturing, chemicals, and infrastructure.
The partnership builds on a relationship that began in 1991 with the implementation of the Aveva PI System, followed by the deployment of Aveva Predictive Analytics.
Going forward, Phang said Aveva is committed to deepening its presence in Malaysia by supporting local industries in their transition toward a more sustainable and digitally enabled future. “This vision aligns closely with Malaysia’s New Industrial Master Plan, which focuses on developing high-value, technology-driven sectors and advancing the nation’s pathway toward net-zero operations.”
He said Aveva’s growth strategy is built on three core pillars: enabling industrial intelligence, strengthening local ecosystems and expanding talent capabilities.
In Malaysia, he said Aveva’s focus spans key sectors such as energy, chemicals and manufacturing – industries facing increasing pressure to decarbonise, optimise costs and enhance agility. “These sectors also represent the greatest opportunity for integrated digital infrastructure that can connect data, systems, and people to drive system-wide efficiency.”
Phang said Malaysia’s industrial companies are navigating shifting geopolitical alliances, rising cybersecurity risks and demographic changes all while operating at varying levels of digital maturity in today’s volatile global economy.
“To stay competitive, industrial intelligence is essential. Organisations must deploy solutions that deliver immediate, measurable value while building long-term resilience. This means enhancing agility, accelerating decarbonisation, and supporting their workforce through ongoing transformation,“ he added.
However, Phang said, many leaders still rely on disconnected systems and siloed networks, making it difficult to gain a clear, real-time view of performance or optimise value at scale.
“According to our Industrial Intelligence Index, limited access to reliable, real-time data remains one of the biggest barriers to operational efficiency across the region. While digital tools are increasingly adopted to improve agility and sustainability, data silos often prevent these tools from realising their full potential.”
To overcome this companies need a robust data infrastructure – an open, agnostic platform that unifies information and enriches it with artificial intelligence-driven insights to transform industrial operations, Phang said
