Most manufacturers looking at software-defined automation ask the wrong question first. The question is not “should we replace our hardware PLCs with virtual ones?” At Siemens, the S7-1500 virtual PLC and the hardware PLC share the same components and behave identically as a control layer. The real question is where a virtual PLC actually improves […]
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While the industrial world is captivated by the potential of Large Language Models (LLMs), a quieter, yet equally transformative, revolution is happening at the industrial edge: the rise of Small Language Models (SLMs). Often overshadowed by their larger counterparts, SLMs are proving to be the pragmatic, specialized AI tools manufacturers actually need for specific, resource-constrained […]
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Edge computing is no longer an emerging concept; it is the operational backbone that industrial systems need to process data locally, run AI models in real time, and maintain security at the OT perimeter. In this article, IIoT World explores why the gap between available edge technology and actual industrial deployment persists, and what manufacturers, […]
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For many industrial organizations, the edge has long been treated as a fixed, isolated part of operations. But as digital transformation initiatives scale—and artificial intelligence, analytics, and cybersecurity concerns intensify—this view is rapidly becoming outdated.Erik Nordmark, Co-founder and CTO at ZEDEDA, emphasizes that today’s industrial edge must be dynamic and software-defined. In his view, the […]
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The factory of the future is not being built from the cloud down; it is being rebuilt from the edge up. In this article, IIoT World explores how modern edge data architectures are fundamentally changing manufacturing operations by enabling real-time analytics, energy optimization, and predictive maintenance at the point of production. Rather than routing every […]
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