Broadcom has released a new version of its automation platform with Automic Automation V26. With this release, the company aims to further integrate artificial intelligence into operational processes within organizations, with an emphasis on control and governance.
Whereas generative AI has primarily been used for support applications such as chatbots and code assistants, Broadcom is focusing this update on actually driving business processes. According to the company, this is a necessary but complex step. Many existing processes within organizations, such as financial transactions, claims processing, or onboarding, have historically been built around predictable, deterministic systems. Introducing AI into these environments carries risks if there is no clear governance in place.
According to Broadcom, this tension between traditional IT and new AI applications is at the heart of the problem. AI systems do not operate in the same way as traditional automation and are generally not trained on company-specific data or processes. Without an additional control layer, this can lead to unpredictable behavior in critical workflows.
Automic V26 is designed to bridge that gap by serving as a central layer where automation and AI converge. Broadcom positions the platform as a so-called intelligent control plane, where AI-driven processes operate within fixed policy frameworks. This means that issues such as auditability, access control, and compliance remain central, even when AI makes decisions autonomously.
Integrating AI Requires Oversight
According to Rajeev Kumar, head of product at Broadcom Automation, that is where the biggest challenge lies. He told ITOps Times that organizations are trying to add AI to an environment that traditionally revolves around control, governance, and predictability. In that context, AI can actually increase complexity if a clear management layer isn’t established. He describes Automic as a central management layer that brings existing processes and AI initiatives together while keeping them under control.
The platform functions as an orchestration layer with built-in safeguards. While other AI tools often focus on supporting individual users—for example, when processing emails or analyzing spreadsheets—Automic focuses on large-scale back-office processes with many interdependencies. These involve workflows that can encompass hundreds or thousands of steps and are often business-critical. According to Kumar, simple AI applications fall short in such scenarios.
At the same time, Broadcom is trying to make automated development more accessible, according to SD Times. Instead of requiring specialized knowledge and lengthy development cycles, users can generate workflows in Automic V26 from natural-language descriptions. The platform translates this input into a concrete design, including scheduling and underlying object structure. This is expected to significantly reduce development time and decrease reliance on specialized knowledge.
Native Python and AI Support
For developers and data engineers, the update includes even more traditional improvements. For example, the platform offers direct support for Python, allowing data pipelines and machine learning models to run without additional scripts. Additionally, an AI-powered code feature has been added to assist with writing and optimizing scripts. With this, Broadcom aims to offer an alternative to fragmented open-source solutions that often fall outside of central governance.
On the technical front, Broadcom is also focusing on a simplified infrastructure. Automic V26 introduces an agentless approach that largely eliminates the complexity of managing agents for end users. Instead, central teams can manage and scale these components via, for example, Kubernetes environments, reports SD Times.
Additionally, there is a focus on integration with existing enterprise software. The new version supports SAP’s Clean Core principle, which limits modifications to the ERP system’s core to simplify upgrades. There is also integration with AI functionality within SAP, allowing workflows, both inside and outside SAP, to be controlled from a single central layer.