Proponents of cellular 5G private networks have touted benefits for a few years. The uptake seems slow. But there must be a market. In this news, Siemens announces expanding its private 5G infrastructure to eight more countries—including here in the US.
Siemens is bringing its industrial-grade private 5G infrastructure to the United States and seven additional countries. The expansion is enabled by two new radio units covering the 3.8–4.2 GHz band and the US-specific CBRS band bringing the solution to a total of 15 countries across Europe and the Americas. The dedicated CBRS-band radio unit opens the door for US manufacturers to deploy Siemens’ private 5G on their own premises, fully independently, serving a wide range of industrial sectors – including manufacturing, food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, intralogistics, heavy industries and crane operations.
Additionally, Siemens has enhanced its 5G routers with edge runtime capabilities, allowing apps to run directly on the device – eliminating the need for additional hardware and enabling real-time, AI-ready data processing directly on the shop floor. Both updates respond to a growing connectivity challenge at the heart of modern manufacturing.
Why?
As AI adoption in factories accelerates, data volumes are growing exponentially – and unlicensed Wi-Fi frequencies, prone to overloading in dense industrial environments, can no longer keep pace. Siemens’ private 5G infrastructure addresses this directly by operating on a licensed spectrum, delivering deterministic, interference-free connectivity for business-critical applications.
Siemens developed its private 5G infrastructure specifically with industrial use cases, operational requirements, OT cybersecurity, and end users in mind. The result is a rugged, industry-native end-to-end solution for independent, on-premises wireless network operation – without relying on third-party providers or mobile network operators. The solution integrates seamlessly into Siemens’ IT/OT landscape and is part of the Siemens Xcelerator portfolio.
The system supports key automation protocols, such as PROFINET, and offers freely adjustable upload and download capacities (TDD patterns). Configuration requires setting approximately 20 variables in a clear, accessible web-based dashboard designed for use by even non-IT personnel.
The solution has been certified by the German safety and certification body TÜV to support wireless PROFIsafe communication, making it suitable for safety-related use cases in combination with 5G routers and Siemens’ Safety Automation Equipment.
Newly added: Belgium, Canada, Finland, France, Norway, Poland, United Kingdom. USA will be available in Summer 2026
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I’ve passed along a string of news from Voice AI platform developer Deepgram. This news announces the expansion of the Voice AI platform to Hebrew, Persian, and Urdu.
I guess the unfortunate timing is that Israel (Hebrew) and Iran (Persian) are now at war.
They tell me that this advancement removed one of the biggest blockers to scaling voice AI into the Middle East and South Asia.
These points come from Martine Katz, Senior Product Marketing Manager, Deepgram.
Deepgram continues to expand Nova-3 speech-to-text globally with the addition of three monolingual right-to-left (RTL) languages – Hebrew, Persian, and Urdu – now available in production. Designed for call centers, voice agents, media transcription, and analytics, this release delivers Nova-3 level accuracy, Keyterm Prompting, and production-grade performance for developers building voice applications that support RTL languages across the Middle East and South Asia.
This launch reinforces Nova-3 as an enterprise-grade speech-to-text platform built for global scale, supporting a wider range of scripts and writing systems used in real-world production environments. With Arabic already available, the addition of Hebrew, Persian, and Urdu extends Nova-3’s support for right-to-left languages while preserving consistent performance and behavior across the platform.
As voice products scale globally, teams need to add new languages without adding integration complexity. The addition of Hebrew, Persian, and Urdu to Nova-3 eliminates the need to manage multiple vendors or stitch together separate models—making it easier to expand into new markets and serve customers across the Middle East and South Asia.
Together, these capabilities continue to establish Nova-3 as the foundation for global voice applications operating across multiple languages, regions, and deployment requirements.
She continues with descriptions of the new languages.
Hebrew is spoken by more than 10 million people worldwide and serves as the primary language of business, media, and digital communication in Israel. Modern Hebrew blends ancient and biblical linguistic roots with contemporary vocabulary and fast-paced conversational speech patterns. Hebrew powers call centers, voice agents, and enterprise systems.
Nova-3 Hebrew brings monolingual speech-to-text support for real-world conversational Hebrew, enabling accurate transcription across production voice environments.
Persian (Farsi) is spoken by an estimated 130 million people worldwide, extending from Iran to Afghanistan, Tajikistan, and Persian-speaking communities in the diaspora. Written in a modified Arabic script, Persian is known for rich poetic and contextual expression. Persian is used across media, enterprise systems, and digital platforms throughout the region.
Nova-3 Persian delivers monolingual speech-to-text for modern conversational Persian across voice-driven applications.
Urdu is spoken by more than 230 million people worldwide and is one of South Asia’s most widely used languages across commerce, media, and customer service environments. Written in the Nastaliq script and heavily influenced by Persian and Arabic vocabulary, Urdu reflects a unique blend of linguistic traditions used across regional and diaspora markets.
Nova-3 Urdu provides monolingual speech-to-text support for conversational Urdu at production scale.
Hebrew, Persian, and Urdu on Nova-3 all support Keyterm Prompting, allowing developers to guide transcription toward domain-specific terminology, brand names, product names, and keywords, without retraining models or managing custom vocabularies.
Keyterm Prompting is applied dynamically at inference time, making customization fast and flexible across languages.
This capability is especially valuable for:
Call centers and customer support systems
Voice agents and IVR applications
Industry-specific analytics and transcription workflows
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I tell publicists continually that this is a personal blog. That I write everything—except for quotes and relevant parts of releases.
Bill Lydon has been colleague and media competitor for decades. I had experience and some technical skills. His puts mine to shame. I saw this article about Open versus Proprietary systems on LinkedIn. He sent the document with a couple images. I’m posting without interposing commentary.
I first left the factory floor to begin writing at the rise of “PC-based Control.” These “open systems” were supposed to make control and programming better, cheaper, faster. The PLC suppliers promptly adapted some of the technology. The PC suppliers did not have the market muscle to displace the incumbents.
Systems Integrators told me that open systems would put them out of business. I counseled them that on the contrary it would take more integration expertise to apply these systems. I was also annoyed by the reliance on technology explanations. If the solution does not make business sense, it should not be considered.
I’m passing the commentary over to Bill to expand his thoughts on the subject. It’s worth saving and discussing with your team.
Open , Proprietary, or Managed Ecosystems
By Bill Lydon, Digital Manufacturing Transformation Consultant
Key Highlights
Open Systems Investments Require Critical Business Management Decisions
Open industrial control & automation systems investment decisions at user companies need to be made based on clear technical and business criteria to be successful. The fundamental decision process for industrial manufacturing businesses is what investments are required to reliably continue to be competitive and profitable over time? As technology development and system integration become easier with plug-and-play and no-code programming of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) technologies, the criteria change for making these decisions.
Analysis that simply looks at raw costs without considering other factors, including lifecycle costs, is incomplete and misleading.
When deciding to purchase any control and automation solution, the first question: Does the solution meet my project application performance requirements? Additional fundamental questions must also be asked about initial and lifecycle costs, reliability, and system maintainability:
Lifecycle Investment- System maintainability
Maintenance People Training, Knowledge, & Skill Requirements?
Software Maintenance Resources Required, Service Contracts, & Lifecycle Investment?
Control & Automation System Integration Investment
Software Integration Investment
The analysis needs to be performed internally and possibly with the assistance of an unbiased consultant that would NOT be involved in any of the ultimate system design, project engineering, system installation, and/or system integration. Using accurate information “Kicking hard” against assumptions is a critical part of this process.
Industrial Digitalization Imperative
Understanding the trade-offs and using accurate criteria to measure and judge investments to create an integrated real-time industrial manufacturing business is an important strategic management activity. Companies are becoming more aware of the need to modernize creating an integrated real-time industrial manufacturing business using production methods and automation to compete globally. Organizational competitiveness and flexibility can only be accomplished by critical business management decisions rationally and deliberately leveraging advanced technologies, centering on automation, to enable a successful transition. Taking advantage of the new technologies and initiatives have allowed leadership companies to leapfrog competitors. The process requires avoiding looking for “silver bullets” to achieve long-term goals.
Make versus Buy
Some believe using open computer platforms and open-source software is the best solution rather than integrated control and automation software and hardware from traditional suppliers. This reminds me of the early days of PCs, some businesses thought they saved a significant amount of money buying motherboards, cards and pieces of software to create internal systems. Those businesses learned that integration was not trivial and, depending on the vendor selected, keeping systems running could become a challenge over the lifecycle. Control and automation systems used for discrete or process industries are significantly more complicated and must meet performance and system availability requirements for manufacturers to be profitable. Manufacturers of products continually are faced with fundamental make-versus-buy decisions for their business to be successful.
Industrial Automation Open Systems Ongoing & Evolving
The entire controls & automation industry has been on a journey from completely proprietary systems driving towards open systems since the 1980s.
Architecture Models
Closed System Model
The Closed System Model describes the computer industry when mainframe and minicomputer companies were vertically integrated including hardware, software, peripherals, and service. Distributed Control Systems (DCS) serving the process industries adopted the same closed system model.
Fully Open System Model
Personal Computers and open standard data networking introduced open architecture concepts starting in 1970. Hardware from multiple vendors could be used in the computer when the Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus became common. Competing operating systems, particularly CP/M and the more dominant MS-DOS, allowed people to write computer applications since these ran on open platforms. Windows and Linux came later, allowing developers to create applications. Linux had the distinction of being open source.
Gated Ecosystem Model
Gated Ecosystem Models came into being centered vendors including Microsoft, Oracle, Red Hat’s with these vendors qualifying third-party suppliers to give users confidence systems meet reliability and performance requirements. For serious businesses, including industrial, applications it became apparent building and integrating hardware & software components to create internal systems was not trivial and, depending on the vendor selected, keeping systems running could become a challenge over the lifecycle. Responsible management at end user companies thoughtfully and accurately performed make/buy investment analysis for purchase decisions. This represents the model today and the PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) industry has adopted this model.
Industrial Automation Managed Ecosystems vs Open Systems Debate
The industrial control & automation open systems debates bring the light valid points of view. I have been reflecting on automation & control system architectures with the latest frenzy about open systems since I have participated in design, architecture analysis, discussions, and standards for many years including being a cofounder and president of an industrial software company.
PLC Gated Integrated System Architecture Model
The PLC industry has been more progressively slowly adopting open system building blocks compared to DCS systems that have basically remained closed architecture. Major PLC vendors have been on an open systems journey using a gated system architecture model. The gated system architecture model is based on each supplier’s core propriety systems architectures designed for system integrity including performance, reliability, lowest Mean Time to Repair (MTTR), and quality. The system architecture leverages third-party hardware and software with partner programs that create a managed and gated ecosystem that expands capabilities by leveraging vetted and qualified third-party companies. Inherently the architecture and commercial policies do not provide users with seamless multivendor application program portability and field hardware interchangeability.
The PLC industrial automation & control vendors gated integrated system architecture model certainly improved price/performance with the adoption of many open and commercial technologies including industrial network standards including Modbus, Profibus, DeviceNet, PROFINET, EtherNet/IP and, EtherCAT, and MQTT. OPC UA systems interfaces are more recently is being embraced. Microsoft Windows HMI and Linux server implementations of SCADA, data historians have been another step forward. Using open I/O intelligent protocols including Modbus, PROFIBUS, DeviceNet, HART and I/O Link enable more intelligence to be driven into edge devices including sensors, analytic instruments, valves, and drives.
PLC hardware remains closed architecture controller backplanes with only third parties allowed to provide I/O and peripheral hardware modules after rigorous analysis and licensing agreements. In some cases third party partners are given access to proprietary interfaces through tight licensing agreements so they can provide specialty hardware modules.
PLC systems however have greater flexibility and lower engineered & installed cost than traditional DCS systems.
DCS Remain Closed Proprietary Architecture
Major DCS vendors have maintained closed systems. DCS suppliers have made innovations inside of their closed proprietary architecture. DCS suppliers based on user demand have interfaces in their controllers for select open architecture field I/O networks particularly HART communication protocol for field instruments.
Closed architecture DCS systems suppliers’ resistance to open standard adoption inspired creation of the Open Process Automation System (O-PAS) initiative driven by a group of process industry users primarily oil & gas producers.
PLC/DCS Convergence
PLCs have been displacing DCS process control systems for several years with powerful PLCs and industrial edge computers leveraging more open standards. Some industries, particularly oil & gas producers, have primarily continued to use closed architecture DCS for process control which I find hard to understand. In the early days going back to 1970s PLCs addressed discrete control & automation but over the years with increased performance with technology advances PLCs have been displacing DCS process control systems.
Critical Manufacturing Business Decision
Industrial control & automation systems investments require critical business management decisions for long term competitiveness, growth and profits over time applying technical and business criteria to be successful. Evaluate purchases should always be done in-house & as appropriate engage consultant(s) that will NOT be involved after purchase in project design, engineering, installation, and integration. Using accurate information “Kicking hard” against assumptions.
I reflected recently on the changers in programming since my first experiences around 1977.
Everything back then was text based. You typed everything line-by-line. I started with BASIC and assembler. And also RPG on an IBM minicomputer. Went to C and C++ and then picked up Java in the early 90s.
Then I discovered integrated development environments (IDE), such as eclipse for Java. Then the IDE for C#. At that point, I was thinking, “this isn’t programming. There’s so much built in that you don’t even have to type.”
I try to forget the horrible experience of Ladder Diagram on a PLC.
(Oh, I should note that I was never a professional programmer. Fortunately, I had other roles.)
Lately, automation suppliers have been adding CoPilot to their programming interfaces.
Why this reflection on migration? I’ve been reading mass media and social media angst about the end of programmers with things like Vibe Coding and Claude Code.
Programming automation has been a constant for decades. They all served to make programmers better and faster and better able to tackle tougher problems.
Even with AI, someone must have the ideas of what needs to be developed, do the thinking about approaching the problem, and make the decisions for the best application.
We’re only going to see better applications solving harder problems. Those who lose their jobs will be those who cannot adapt.
New people? They will just think it’s the only way.
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I wrote recently about two announcements regarding “open” DCS platforms designed for easing the migration and upgrade path for owner/operators. This news looks at the Schneider Electric (Foxboro) announcement.
Schneider Electric announced EcoStruxure Foxboro Software Defined Automation (SDA), the industry’s first open, software‑defined Distributed Control System (DCS). This breakthrough combines the trusted reliability of Foxboro with the agility of open, software‑defined automation, helping hybrid and process industry customers modernize faster, reduce risk, and ensure their operations are future-ready.
I’m not so sure about being the first software defined controller, but I’ll let marketers argue it out.
On the one hand, this looks to be a significant advancement in the state of the art. I was left wanting much more information. I have several other questions waiting for answers.
What is meant by “open”?
What is meant by interoperability? With what? Whom?
Validated by whom?
Is this related to the work of OPAF?
How does it simplify operations?
Does it migrate only Foxboro installed base, or also that of others?
Like I said, this is no doubt a significant advancement. I just wonder how much. Could be a lot. My problem seeing new things is that I visualize even more from the technology than it offers today. I’ve confounded many CEOs and product managers over the years with, “Wow, this is great, can it also do…” Once a product development manager, always one, I guess. I’m always thinking about what’s next.
EcoStruxure Foxboro SDA delivers flexibility, scalability, and cost efficiency without sacrificing reliability.
They conducted some owner/operator research with Omdia which concluded that closed systems cost mid-sized industrial companies 7.5% of revenue through downtime, inefficiencies, and compliance retrofits every year.
“EcoStruxure Foxboro SDA marks a defining moment for industrial automation,” said Hany Fouda, Senior Vice President, Process Automation, Schneider Electric. “By embracing openness and software-defined architecture, we’re giving our customers the agility to modernize without compromise, protecting their investments while unlocking future-ready capabilities. This evolution is a strategic enabler for digital transformation, and Schneider Electric is proud to lead it.”
Developed by listening to real customer challenges; aging systems, rising costs, and the need to do more with less, Foxboro SDA decouples hardware from software to protect existing investments and enable a smooth, lower-risk modernization path. The result is simpler workflows, faster insights, and sustainable performance gains.
Key Features
Open, Software-Defined Architecture: Foxboro SDA decouples software from hardware to deliver vendor independence and interoperability, enabling flexible, scalable architectures that simplify
Cybersecure & Future-Ready: Foxboro SDA is built with secure-by-design principles and IEC 62443-3-3 compliance, delivering a future-ready platform that enables IT/OT convergence, AI/ML integration, and autonomous operations for Industry 4.0 and energy transition.
Simplify Operations & Reduce Costs: Customers can lower CapEx and OpEx, streamline deployment with intuitive tools, and minimizes downtime by avoiding obsolescence and enabling predictive maintenance.
As the first software-defined distributed control system, Foxboro SDA is a validated, software-defined automation architecture for distributed control systems powered by EcoStruxure Automation Expert (EAE). It enables interoperability, rapid deployment, and fit-for-purpose configurations while maintaining high availability. The system ensures digital continuity by keeping data connected and consistent throughout the plant lifecycle—from design to production to maintenance. This enables automated workflows, better product quality, and easy integration with analytics for smarter, real-time business decisions.
Customers benefit from a future-ready upgrade path, built-in cybersecurity, and simplified operations that support IT/OT convergence and advanced technologies like AI and machine learning. Foxboro SDA provides our customers with a control solution that is unbound by hardware, engineered for agility and empowered by data. It’s more than a system – Foxboro SDA is a strategic enabler for digital transformation.
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I wrote a preview last week of two similar news items that have come my way. They suggest ways to deal with a persistent problem—especially one relevant these days with so few greenfield projects and so much need to upgrade old technology. This post looks at the ABB release.
ABB launched an aggressive acquisition campaign a quarter-century ago accumulating the leading share of process control installations. I say this based on the old Control Magazine/ARC Advisory Group rankings (well, along with ABB press releases that always touted market share leadership).
The first thing the company had to do was build a unifying structure—and along came the 800xA platform. They’ve improved that platform over time keeping current with technology advances.
I’m combing two news items here. The first explains their upgrade platform called Automation Extended. The second explains the first instantiation with the aforementioned 800xA.
I am interested in learning about any of your experiences upgrading 800xA to current technology.
The Automation Extended program helps industries modernize distributed control systems without disruption by building on ABB’s proven platforms and safeguarding existing investments
A modern, open and modular automation ecosystem enables advanced analytics, AI and IoT integration, allowing technologies to be adopted at customers’ pace without operational risk
A separation-of-concerns architecture protects the core control while enabling new digital capabilities to be deployed at scale – without touching mission-critical operations
Here is the problem statement.
ABB has introduced its Automation Extended program, a strategic evolution of its distributed control systems (DCS), designed to help industries modernize without disruption. Building on ABB’s long-standing leadership with the world’s largest DCS installed base and vision in process automation, Automation Extended outlines how future automation capabilities can be introduced progressively – preserving system integrity while enabling the flexibility, scalability and efficiency needed for the next era of industrial operations.
The ABB platforms affected.
Operators can continue to rely on trusted ABB systems such as ABB Ability System 800xA, ABB Ability Symphony Plus and ABB Freelance, while introducing new technologies progressively and without operational interruption. This approach provides a structured, low risk path to modernization, preserving continuity while enabling innovation.
An explanation of the implementation including the required adjective I pointed out in my earlier piece. The best I see to define “open” is a reference to OPC/UA. Many companies point to this technology referring to their being open.
The Automation Extended program is implemented through a modern, open and modular environment designed for interoperability, scalability and seamless integration across industrial domains. Based on separation of concerns principles, the automation ecosystem includes two distinct yet securely interconnected environments:
The control environment, a software‑defined domain that ensures robust, reliable and deterministic control for critical processes.
The digital environment, securely connected to the control layer, enabling advanced applications, edge intelligence and real‑time analytics. This space leverages artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning for decision support without disturbing proven control structures.
A single, unified and comprehensive automation service approach for ecosystem lifecycle management and optimization is applied for the management and maintenance of these diverse technological environments.
ABB launches System 800xA 7.0 DCS, bridging today and tomorrow’s automation
Building on ABB’s long-standing approach to modernization without disruption, ABB Ability System 800xA 7.0 distributed control system (DCS) acts as a bridge to future automation technologies
In brief:
Introduces Automation Extended functionality, enabling gradual uptake of advanced digital capabilities while maintaining core system reliability
Long Term Support (LTS) ensures predictable, secure system operation with extended lifecycle coverage and minimal disruption
As a Long-Term Support (LTS) release, System 800xA 7.0 provides a stable, predictable path for both existing installations and new projects, with broad Windows OS compatibility, expanded virtualization support, and long-term continuity without disruptive upgrade cycles.
As the first DCS adopting ABB’s recently announced Automation Extended program, System 800xA enables stepwise digital adoption for process and system monitoring and optimization. Through the “separation of concerns” architecture, with distinct yet securely interconnected control and digital environments, customers can deploy system performance monitoring, advanced analytics, and AI-based decision support applications without impacting the mission-critical control layer that safeguards operations.
Key enhancements:
Extension packs as a new delivery model—System 800xA 7.0 introduces a new, modular software delivery approach through Extension Packs, enabling customers to stay on their base software version while adopting innovations on an independent lifecycle in a non-disruptive way. This reduces the need for large-scale upgrade events, minimizes operational risk and lowers lifecycle costs.
Broader operating system and virtualization support—The system supports two generations of Microsoft operating systems, including Windows Server 2025/2022 and Windows 11/10, enabling flexible upgrade paths. It also supports multiple virtualization platforms including VMware and Hyper-V, giving users more flexibility in how they deploy and maintain their automation system’s infrastructure.
Strengthened cybersecurity and system hardening—System 800xA 7.0 incorporates native Microsoft Defender malware protection, IEC 62443-aligned security capabilities, improved certificate management, and updated core components. Together, these measures help protect critical systems against modern cyber threats while simplifying security maintenance.
Modern engineering tools and expanded connectivity—Enhancements to OPC UA client/server functionality, Ethernet-APL device integration, and network-centric I/O performance improve project scalability and interoperability. Version 7.0 also supports the latest MTP standards for ABB’s Modular Automation Orchestration Designer, helping customers meet emerging requirements for modular production.
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