In the field of industrial automation technology, the topic of industrial AI is gaining increasing importance, alongside digitalization down to the field level, and cybersecurity. PI provides a strong foundation for all these areas with its innovative technology portfolio and services for its PI member companies.
Additionally, industrial AI is becoming an increasingly cross-cutting key topic. Within PI, we are also engaged in intensive discussions about the role of industrial AI technologies in this context and how we can best support this topic and our member companies. One thing is clear: successfully using AI in industry requires more than just algorithms. Access to high-quality business and process data from all OT levels, secure transmission of this data into the IT world, and a defined semantics framework that enables a simple analysis of information are crucial. This allows for process optimization, diagnostics, valuable insights into various use-cases, and much more.
The goal of Industrial AI is to measurably improve processes and production workflows. The focus is on increasing process and production productivity, improving plant availability, and further increasing the degree of automation. This requires that all relevant information from all IT and OT levels be available, down to the sensors and actuators at the field level, at the required speeds and data volumes.
PI technologies are exactly what is needed here. With our communication technologies PROFINET, IO-Link, and the other innovative PI technologies, PI significantly contributes to end-to-end digitalization, secure communication, and data-driven applications in production. Our technology portfolio’s strength is particularly evident in critical areas such as real-time capability, functional safety, and cybersecurity.
PROFINET and IO-Link in particular are powerful industrial communication technologies that PI provides for this purpose. These technologies form an important foundation for industrial AI applications in the process industry as well as in machine and plant engineering within discrete manufacturing industries. PROFINET over SPE and PROFINET over APL consistently expand Ethernet-based communication all the way down to the field level. Ethernet-APL also enables applications in hazardous areas in the process industry.
However, ‘productive use’ requires more than just data transmission. Standardized integration technologies, profiles, and information models that support engineering, commissioning, operation, and maintenance are equally important. PI is therefore investing extensively in a coordinated technology portfolio for process automation and quality assurance.
In addition to communication protocols, this includes PROFIsafe for functional safety, the PA profile, and more. The PA profile facilitates the replacement of devices from different manufacturers, for example. Added to this are continuous advancements in cybersecurity, integration technologies, and information models, such as FDI and PA-DIM. NOA provides an architecture that enables secure, non-interactive data extraction from all levels of the production plant.
IO-Link also consistently addresses functional safety and cybersecurity requirements with IO-Link Safety and IO-Link Security.
The interplay of these technologies is what makes the difference. Not only is data collected and transmitted, it is also made available securely, in a standardized manner, and within a clearly interpretable context. It can then be used immediately for analyses and industrial AI applications in IT, in the data center, or in the cloud.
PI technologies create a robust bridge between the field level and data-driven production. Together with our members, we intend to continue down this path and create the conditions necessary for industrial data to give rise to productive and economically successful applications.
We look forward to exploring with you how secure data and PI technologies are driving the factory of the future and the adoption of industrial AI.
Dietmar Bohn