Mitsubishi Electric & Tulip: Custom AI for Manufacturers

Mitsubishi Electric has partnered with and invested in Tulip Interfaces, a platform that looks to bring AI to frontline operations.

This US$120m funding round values the company at US$1.3bn.

Natan Linder, CEO of Tulip Interfaces, says: “Our partnership with Mitsubishi Electric solidifies a shared commitment to a human-first digital transformation. 

“We are building modern, composable architectures not to automate people away, but to give them superpowers through practical use of AI. 

“We recognise that technology must work for the operators and the engineers, not the other way around. 

“Together, we will champion the frontline workforce, fostering a spirit of innovation and trust across operations worldwide.”

Connecting manufacturing systems

Tulip provides a no-code platform for frontline operations, allowing manufacturers to create custom software. 

It is AI-native and has edge capabilities, aiming to connect people, machines, devices and systems across operations.

Global manufacturers including Richemont, Stanley Black & Decker and AstraZeneca are already using this tech across a variety of frontline industries. 

In 2025, 43,000 Tulip apps supported 60,000 frontline workers across 1,000 customer sites. 

Customer adoption of its new generative AI capabilities and automations grew 364% and 519% respectively over the past two years. 

Satoshi Takeda, Senior Vice President, CDO and Group President Digital Innovation at Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, explains: “Tulip Interfaces’ composable platform development technology will enable us to respond to the speed and flexibility demanded by manufacturing sites. 

“By combining the technologies that both companies possess, we aim to accelerate DX and innovation as well as strengthen our competitiveness beyond the boundaries of the manufacturing industry.”

AWS and Tulip

In 2025, Tulip partnered with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to enhance its integration of IoT data workshops.

This partnership aims to help integrate machine data with operator input, work orders and material flows. 

“Machine data alone doesn’t tell the whole story,” says Roey Mechrez, Head of Ecosystem and EMEA GM at Tulip. 

“By linking AWS IoT SiteWise with Tulip’s operator-focused platform, we’re helping manufacturers close the loop between machines and people, unlocking insights that drive continuous improvement.”

The integration can help to contextualise data in real-time, allowing operators to overlay human input. 

It also enables closed-loop feedback systems, where downtime reasons or quality issues can be logged directly into Tulip alongside machine metrics. 

Composable AI Agents

Tulip describes its Composable AI Agents as “the industry’s first configurable agentic AI solution purpose-built for frontline operations”.

It allows manufacturers to safely deploy AI-powered agents that take action, rather than just detecting issues. 

These agents are fully configurable and can be created using Tulip’s agent builder or downloaded as pre-built options.

“Manufacturers don’t need AI for AI's sake – they need tools that can help them solve problems," says Mason Glidden, Chief Product and Engineering Officer at Tulip. 

"With Composable AI Agents, companies can safely define roles, instructions and actions — giving them confidence to solve a new class of problems across operations.”

Digital transformation

In partnership with Qatar Development Bank (QDB), Tulip has established its first regional Experience Center in the Middle East to showcase its manufacturing technology.

QDB’s flagship Factory One, established in collaboration with McKinsey, provides training in lean and digital manufacturing for Qatari SMEs.

Tulip’s tools will help to support digital transformation training and rapid deployment of digital tools, alongside systems like Microsoft Dynamics ERP and Haas CNC machines. 

Erik Mirandette, Chief Business Officer at Tulip Interfaces, explains: “This partnership reinforces our commitment to enable SMEs to strengthen their frontline operations and seamlessly integrate into global supply chains.”