Intelligent power management company Eaton is working with California-based Autodesk on digital twins to improve building lifecycle management.

The collaboration leverages Irish firm Eaton’s energy management and optimisation technology with Autodesk Tandem to simplify complex energy simulations and optimise electrical system performance across commercial buildings, data centres and more, advancing energy resilience and sustainability with speed, accuracy and flexibility.

With digital transformation, electrification and the shift to distributed energy sources, building owners are adapting to a changing power landscape. Together, Eaton and Autodesk aim to transform building electrical systems into intelligent, data-driven ecosystems that continuously increase functionality and unlock value for the future.

“Eaton and Autodesk are introducing new dynamic capabilities for the building and data centre industries that will fundamentally change how electrical systems are designed, built and operated,” said Justin Carron, director of buildings and campuses at Eaton. “By combining actionable insights from energy management systems and reliability-centred maintenance programmes with advanced visualisation, simulation and modelling capabilities, we’re enabling a more intelligent and productive approach to building lifecycle management.”

Robert Bray, general manager of Autodesk Tandem, added: “By bringing together Eaton’s energy expertise and Autodesk Tandem’s powerful data visualisations and integration capabilities, we’re giving building operators the tools to move from reactive to predictive strategies, unlocking new levels of resilience, efficiency and sustainability. It’s exciting to see how these capabilities are being applied to real-world operational challenges and helping shape a smarter, more digital future.”

Eaton’s Brightlayer digital energy twin capability powered by Autodesk Tandem (intandem.autodesk.com) gives designers, contractors and building operators tools to deliver smarter, more resilient and energy-efficient buildings. Using data and insights from Eaton’s Brightlayer energy software,the digital energy twin enables building and facility managers to simulate, monitor and optimise energy use and building performance. The digital energy twin technology mimics and predicts how a facility will operate under various conditions and provides analysis on the impact of potential infrastructure upgrades prior to implementation, helping enhance resilience, reduce costs and support sustainability goals.

Additionally, the collaboration introduces a building information modelling (BIM) generation application for Autodesk Revit (www.autodesk.com/products/revit/architecture) that lets design and engineering professionals dynamically generate BIM files for electrical systems to simplify pre-construction planning and create a digital foundation for the future.

Learn more about how Eaton is helping electrify buildings at www.eaton.com/gb/en-gb/markets/buildings.html.

Founded in 1911 and headquartered in Dublin, Eaton (www.eaton.com) is an intelligent power management company that makes products for the data centre, utility, industrial, commercial, machine building, residential, aerospace and mobility markets. With revenues of nearly $25bn in 2024, the company serves customers in more than 160 countries.