OSI Software PI
Industrial data infrastructure platform for collecting, storing, and analyzing real-time operational data.
What it does
OSI Software PI System (now AVEVA PI System following acquisition by AVEVA) is the industrial data infrastructure platform used by energy, utilities, manufacturing, and process industries to collect, store, and analyze time-series operational data from sensors, controllers, and field devices. PI stores decades of real-time operational data from thousands of tags (sensor data points) and makes it available to operations, engineering, and business teams for analysis, visualization, and decision-making. AI capabilities added through the AVEVA platform include AI-powered anomaly detection, predictive asset performance models, and integration with data science tools for advanced analytics on operational data.
Why AI-ENHANCED
OSI Software PI is a long-established operational data historian that has integrated AI-powered anomaly detection and predictive analytics through the AVEVA platform. The AI capabilities are meaningful additions to a mature industrial data infrastructure product.
Best for
Utilities, oil and gas operators, refineries, chemical plants, and large manufacturers use PI System as the central operational data repository - storing decades of sensor data that feeds engineering analysis, regulatory reporting, and AI-powered operational intelligence.
Limitations
The AVEVA acquisition of OSI Software and subsequent acquisition by Schneider Electric has created product roadmap uncertainty for long-term PI System customers — organizations should clarify the long-term product strategy before committing to new deployments.
Deploying and maintaining a PI System across a large industrial site requires dedicated PI System administrators with specialized expertise — the platform is powerful but operationally demanding.
PI System was architected for on-premise deployment in the pre-cloud era — organizations seeking cloud-native operational data infrastructure may find more modern alternatives better suited to their architecture.
Alternatives by segment
| If you need… | Consider instead |
|---|---|
| Cloud-native industrial data platform | Samsara |
| Energy management and building automation | Schneider Electric EcoStruxure |
| Asset management system | IBM Maximo |
AVEVA PI System pricing is based on the number of data tags (sensor points) and connected servers. Pricing is not publicly disclosed. Enterprise implementations with tens of thousands of tags run into six figures annually. Implementation services and ongoing support are additional.
2026-03-31
