Interoperable digital twins: the OpenUSD revolution
Imagine testing the operation of a data center or a factory without moving a single brick.
Three leading companies are joining an alliance that aims to make that possible.
Schneider Electric, AVEVA, and ETAP have joined the OpenUSD (Universal Scene Description) Alliance, an initiative to establish open standards for creating interoperable digital twins and simulation-ready 3D assets. The initiative already includes participation from companies such as NVIDIA, Pixar, Adobe, and Autodesk.
The announcement was made at the Innovation Summit North America in Las Vegas, an event dedicated to digitalization, artificial intelligence, and critical infrastructure. OpenUSD aims to facilitate interoperability across different software tools and data types, creating collaborative virtual environments that allow industrial systems to be designed and simulated with greater precision.
Real-Time Simulation
The alliance connects with simulation platforms such as NVIDIA Omniverse, which are used to develop real-time digital twins. These technologies enable scenario evaluation, resource optimization, and improvements in the efficiency and sustainability of buildings, factories, data centers, and energy systems.
Jim Simonelli, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer for Data Centers at Schneider Electric, explains:
“OpenUSD is much more than a file format; it is a virtual bridge between industries. Joining the Alliance allows us to contribute to a shared digital language that drives collaboration, simulation, and innovation across the AI ecosystem. It is a natural extension of our work with NVIDIA to build AI infrastructure that is not only powerful but also intelligent, sustainable, and future-ready.”
Digital twins allow the simulation of thermal, energy, and operational behavior of AI factories and data centers before construction or expansion. This helps improve energy efficiency, sustainability, and infrastructure reliability, supporting industries in making more informed and resilient decisions.
Collaboration with NVIDIA
Rev Lebaredian, Vice President of Omniverse and Simulation Technology at NVIDIA, notes:
“To efficiently design and operate complex systems such as AI factories, industries need a solid, simulation-ready foundation. Schneider Electric’s expertise in energy management, hardware, and software, combined with NVIDIA Omniverse’s libraries, will accelerate the creation of next-generation AI factories and smart grids, ushering in a new era of AI-driven efficiency and sustainability.”
The adoption of open standards like OpenUSD marks a turning point in how industries design, simulate, and operate complex infrastructure.
As artificial intelligence imposes new demands on energy, cooling, and efficiency, interoperability between software, data, and physical systems becomes a key enabler for building infrastructure that is more resilient, sustainable, and prepared for the future.
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