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Siemens Xcelerator With Microsoft for Edge, Cloud, AI and Simulation

The third of Siemens pre-Hannover news releases concerns Xcelerator Edge with Microsoft Azure IoT Operations.

  • Siemens Industrial Edge works seamlessly with Microsoft Azure IoT Operations, making OT and IT data planes fully interoperable for manufacturing
  • Edge and cloud data integration enables adaptive production through AI- and digital-twin-powered solutions
  • Industrial customers benefit from improved machine performance, product quality and reduced machine maintenance

Siemens announces an extended collaboration with Microsoft in the context of Siemens Xcelerator, Siemens’ open digital business platform, to simplify the integration of information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) for enterprise customers. By combining Siemens Industrial Edge with Microsoft Azure IoT Operations, customers will benefit from complementary solutions that enable a seamless flow of data from production lines to the edge and to the cloud. This edge-to-cloud data integration enables AI- and digital-twin-powered solutions to improve machine performance, product quality, and reduce machine maintenance.

A core component of the Azure adaptive cloud approach, Azure IoT Operations is designed to seamlessly integrate on-premises industrial edge solutions, like Siemens Industrial Edge, with the cloud, ensuring a continuous flow of data for smarter operations.

In this way, the powerful OT data plane provided by Siemens Industrial Edge works easily with Azure IoT Operations, to create an interoperable OT and IT data plane for manufacturing. The data layer from Siemens Industrial Edge effectively addresses mission-critical production applications such as virtualized control, low-latency closed-loop AI, executable digital twins, or production line-level analytics. It allows manufacturers to deploy responsive, reliable, flexible and secure applications to optimize their operations, reduce costs, and increase uptime and quality. By coupling with Azure IoT Operations, industrial producers can easily leverage this OT data in cloud-based, data-driven use cases to optimize production across sites and gain insights from advanced analytics.

ZEDEDA Accelerates Enterprise Edge AI with Enhanced NVIDIA Integrations

Here’s a partnership of two companies who like to “all caps” their names so that they jump out at you on the page. This news concerns extension of EdgeAI

ZEDEDA has unveiled expanded support for NVIDIA’s edge AI platform, introducing enhanced integration with NVIDIA Jetson systems, NGC catalog and the TAO toolkit.

This comprehensive integration provides enterprises with a complete workflow for deploying, securing and managing AI models at the edge, enabling faster innovation while ensuring operational reliability. The NGC catalog serves as NVIDIA’s repository for GPU-optimized AI models, while the TAO toolkit enables the adaptation of AI models for edge environments. ZEDEDA now seamlessly enables users to pull models from the NGC catalog, optimize those models via the TAO toolkit, and deploy and manage these via ZEDEDA’s secure edge computing platform. 

Key innovations include:

  • NVIDIA NGC Catalog Integration: Direct CLI integration enables seamless deployment of AI models from NGC Catalog to edge nodes, dramatically simplifying the model deployment workflow
  • TAO Toolkit Optimization: Native support for NVIDIA’s TAO toolkit allows enterprises to optimize models specifically for edge deployment on Jetson systems, improving performance and efficiency
  • Zero-Touch Edge Management: Automated deployment and management capabilities scale to tens of thousands of nodes, enabling rapid AI innovation without increasing operational overhead
  • Advanced Observability: Built-in Grafana and Prometheus integration with extensible APIs provides comprehensive visibility into AI model performance and health at the edge
  • Native Support for NVIDIA Jetson GPUs: ZEDEDA’s EVE OS provides native support for NVIDIA Jetson GPUs, including Orin NX and AGX, enabling seamless AI deployment. By utilizing ZEDEDA Marketplace models optimized with TensorRT and leveraging EVE OS for GPU acceleration, edge AI performance is significantly enhanced.

On-site AI for Businesses of Any Size With New Edge Server

We inhabit the early days of figuring out not only which AI (machine learning, large language models, voice, etc.) we need to deploy but also how to deploy it. Both remote servers (the cloud) and local edge servers have advantages and disadvantages.

Meanwhile, technology developers are busily devising upgrades to their systems that will enable those deployments.

This news comes from OnLogic, an edge computing technology developer.

OnLogic has launched the Axial AX300, a customizable edge server. 

The company details a few advantages to local deployment.

The Axial AX300 empowers organizations to seamlessly move computing resources closer to the data source, providing significant advantages in performance, latency, operational efficiency and total cost of ownership over cloud-based data management. With its robust design, flexible configuration options, and advanced security features, the Axial AX300 is the ideal platform.

Features include:

  • AI/ML inference and training: Leveraging the power of AI/ML at the edge for real-time insights, predictive maintenance, and improved decision-making.
  • Data analytics: Processing and analyzing data generated by IoT devices and sensors in real-time to improve operational efficiency.
  • Virtualization: Consolidating multiple workloads onto a single server, optimizing resource utilization and simplifying deployment and management.

Specs:

  • Powered by up to two 5th Gen Intel Xeon Scalable processors.
  • Up to 7x single-slot or 4x dual-slot GPUs, enabling up to 5864 TOPS of AI performance. In addition a wide range of memory and storage options are available, accommodating a host of data management and analytics needs.
  • Built-in security features such as locking front bezels, rear port-blocking attachments, and FIPS security level 1 and 2 compliance help protect valuable on-site data from tampering or intrusion. Onboard Intel Trust Domain Extensions (Intel TDX) offer increased confidentiality at the virtual machine (VM) level, while Intel Software Guard Extensions (Intel SGX) provide what Intel calls the most researched, updated, and comprehensive confidential computing technology in data centers on the market today.
  • The Axial AX300 was engineered to thrive where data-center servers might struggle. Advanced dust filtration, hot-swappable fans, and robust thermal management help to ensure maximum availability.
  • Shallow-depth 3U form factor. The system can also be installed in a tower orientation or wall-mounted. A license-fee free BMC enables remote monitoring and simplifies server management and maintenance.
  • Leverage the company’s strong relationships with software providers including Avassa, AWS, Nodeweaver, Red Hat, Viso, ZEDEDA and many others to architect the ideal data management, virtualization, or AI solution for their specific needs.

ZEDEDA and OnLogic Partner to Build Integrated Edge Computing Solution for Industrial Environments

OnLogic Powered by ZEDEDA integrates cloud-native edge management capabilities into industrial-grade hardware solutions to accelerate edge deployments and ROI.

The edge appears to be the place where innovation is focused. Here is yet another partnership in that market space.

ZEDEDA, the leader in edge management and orchestration, and OnLogic, a global leader in industrial computing hardware and solutions, announced a strategic partnership to launch OnLogic Powered by ZEDEDA. This offering combines OnLogic’s rugged, industrial-grade hardware with ZEDEDA’s cloud-native edge orchestration software, providing enterprises with a comprehensive platform to easily and securely deploy, manage and scale edge computing workloads. The companies are committing product and engineering teams to co-design a solution that will streamline edge computing deployments and accelerate time to value.

The OnLogic and ZEDEDA partnership addresses the growing demand for robust edge computing solutions in industrial environments. It enables customers to easily manage, monitor and update edge devices and application workloads, significantly reducing the time and cost associated with deploying and maintaining distributed edge infrastructure. The zero-trust security model begins in the factory and guarantees that devices haven’t been tampered with in transit.

The solution will initially be available on four OnLogic systems, catering to various industrial edge computing needs. Key user advantages include:

  • A validated solution from industry leaders in edge computing.
  • Engineered for industrial environments with multi-year solution lifecycles.
  • An application-agnostic design to power unique customer solutions that evolve with the market.
  • World-class device and software security to protect enterprise IP.
  • Unified engineering and product roadmap shaped by collective customer feedback.
  • Delivered as an appliance with SaaS management for rapid time-to-value and faster return on investment.

OnLogic Powered by ZEDEDA will help accelerate this growth by offering a turnkey solution combining hardware reliability and software flexibility.

Nokia Launches Industrial Applications Targeting Safety and Efficiency

  • Expands the number of Nokia-owned and best-in-class industry applications integrated on the MX Industrial Edge (MXIE) to drive efficiency, productivity and OT security.
  • New applications help to improve worker safety and enable responsive video for machine remote control, leading to higher operational efficiency and strengthening OT environment security.

I may not use a Nokia handset any longer, but the company still releases many products for industrial applications.

Nokia announced six new applications deployed on the Nokia MX Industrial Edge (MXIE) to help enterprises improve worker safety, site security, enhance operational efficiency and secure OT environments in manufacturing, mining, ports, and chemical industries.

In line with industry developments, Nokia MXIE on-premises edge solution, part of Nokia’s private wireless offering, supports ecosystem neutrality enabling the deployment of applications to help support growing diverse Industry 4.0 use case needs.

Offered as-a-service, these new applications are Ascom Ofelia, Fogsphere, innovaphone PBX & myApps, Nokia Real-time eXtended Reality Multimedia (RXRM), OneLayer, and Redinent and join our existing portfolio of Nokia, and third-party digitalization applications.

Improving situational awareness to enhance worker safety and site security

Worker safety remains a high priority in industrial settings. The new applications enable digitalization to increase situational awareness, better deal with incidents, and increase the use of real-time data and knowledge which are key to improving worker safety and site security. The new applications include the following:

Ascom Ofelia – Ascom Ofelia helps enterprises shift from separate alarm systems to one unified alarm solution, improving incident management, increasing situational awareness, and ensuring a safer workplace.

Fogsphere – A comprehensive, multi-modal AI platform to enhance workplace safety, security, and operational intelligence, with real-time solutions for PPE compliance, behavioral analysis, emergency management, access control, intrusion detection and vehicle monitoring.

Connecting workers to achieve higher efficiency

Connected worker applications are essential to overcome workforce challenges such as worker shortages, retention issues, and difficulty attracting new talent, which are key to achieving the efficiency and productivity needed to outperform the competition. Applications can give workers real-time information to make their jobs easier and machine tele-operation more efficient. New items include the following:

innovaphone PBX & myApps – Secure, scalable IP telephone system with built-in features like conferencing, voicemail and waiting queues for advanced business communication and smart business applications. Its on-premise MXIE solution ensures full data control and meets ISO27001 standards.

Real-time eXtended Reality Multimedia (RXRM) – Software solution with low latency 360° video and 3D OZO audio capture that helps to improve productivity, employee safety, teleoperations, situational awareness & remote technical support.

Securing OT assets to strengthen the overall security

Asset visibility, zero trust principles and effective vulnerability management in OT environments will be enabled by the new applications including:

OneLayer – Discovers, manages, secures, and classifies all IIoT assets on private networks, including those behind cellular routers. Acting as a zero-trust access broker, it enforces zero-trust security principles within OT environments while delivering zero-touch asset management and operational intelligence.

Redinent – Discovers IIoT assets and helps create inventory, identifies IIoT vulnerabilities and ongoing threats. It informs the security operation center (SOC) about the findings.

ZEDEDA Joins the Linux Foundation’s Margo Project

ZEDEDA works at the Edge—they call it Edge Orchestration–and is joining a standards body. I am not sanguine about these interoperability organizations. Perhaps those of you who use these tools in manufacturing or production could send a note about if (or how) you use these industry standards. I know that the IT industry makes great use of them. I am not so sure about the OT side.

At any rate, there is a new initiative underway that appears to duplicate the work of EdgeX Foundry that was begun several years ago. This one sponsored by the Linux Foundation is called Margo.

This news from ZEDEDA announces that it has joined the Linux Foundation’s Margo project as a steering committee member. Margo is a new open-source project focused on creating open standards for interoperability at the edge for industrial automation environments.

ZEDEDA joins founding members ABB, Capgemini, Microsoft, Rockwell Automation, Schneider Electric and Siemens in the Margo project. Darren Kimura, ZEDEDA’s president and COO, will be the company’s representative on the steering committee, which also includes a representative from Intel. ZEDEDA co-founder and CTO Erik Nordmark will be part of the technical working group, while senior director of marketing communications and partner marketing Sarah Beaudoin will be part of the marketing working group.

The Margo project represents a significant industry collaboration to define mechanisms for interoperable orchestration of edge applications, workloads and devices. It will deliver the promise of interoperability through an open standard, reference implementation, and comprehensive compliance testing toolkit.

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