New Delhi, May 11th, 2026 – Schneider Electric, a global energy technology leader, today released India findings from its Global Autonomous Maturity Report, highlighting how the country’s energy sector is progressing toward autonomous operations. As India’s energy systems expand and become more complex, organisations are accelerating adoption of intelligent, self-managing technologies to improve resilience, reliability, and efficiency.
The findings show that India has already reached a high level of maturity in autonomous operations. 48% of organisations report operating at Full Autonomy, compared to 31% globally, with a further 30% at Select Autonomy, signalling that autonomous systems are already embedded across a significant part of the sector.
- Schneider Electric study highlights India’s higher maturity and ambition compared to global averages
- 48% of Indian organisations already operate at Full Autonomy, with a further 30% at select autonomy where systems run autonomously in specific scenarios
- Organisations in India are targeting 73% Full Autonomy, significantly higher than the global average of 47%
More importantly, India is moving beyond adoption into scale and optimisation. 73% of organisations say their autonomy programmes are already complete or being maintained, compared to 29% globally, indicating a shift from early deployment to realising value at scale.
This momentum is expected to accelerate over the next five years. Organisations in India are targeting 73% Full Autonomy, significantly higher than the global average of 47%, reflecting a clear move toward fully autonomous, self-managing operations rather than incremental automation.
“India is at an important inflection point where autonomy is becoming central to how energy systems are designed and operated,” said Mr. Deepak Sharma, MD & CEO, Zone President – Greater India, Schneider Electric. “As demand rises and systems become more distributed and complex, the ability to operate with greater intelligence, flexibility, and resilience will be critical.”
This shift is being driven by a strong strategic imperative. Organisations in India are placing greater emphasis on resilience and long-term competitiveness, with operational reliability emerging as the leading driver for autonomy adoption. At the same time, autonomy is increasingly being treated as a business priority, with 94% of organisations identifying it as a high priority over the next five years, rising to universal prioritisation over the next decade.
Technology is playing a critical enabling role in this transition. India is seeing strong adoption of digital foundations such as cloud and edge computing (64%), alongside AI and machine learning (52%), robotics (48%), and cybersecurity frameworks (45%), reflecting the importance of digital infrastructure in supporting autonomous operations.
“What stands out is the focus on building a strong digital backbone to support autonomy,” said Arvind Kakru, Vice President – Industrial Automation, Greater India, Schneider Electric. “Bringing together data, intelligence, and automation in a connected and secure way will be key to enabling systems that can adapt in real time and deliver consistent performance.”
The findings also highlight the risks of delayed adoption. Organisations in India report heightened concerns around safety, cost, and sustainability impacts if autonomy does not keep pace, reinforcing its role as a critical enabler of reliable and efficient energy systems.
As energy demand continues to grow across Asia, India is playing a central role in shaping the region’s transition toward more intelligent and resilient energy systems. With strong current maturity and ambitious future targets, the country is well positioned to lead the next phase of autonomous operations in the global energy sector.
The research was conducted in partnership with Censuswide and Development Economics, with inputs from independent energy market analyst Gaurav Sharma. It draws on responses from 400 senior decision-makers across 12 countries, with fieldwork carried out between September and October 2025.
