News

Global technology leader ABB has launched its Automation Extended program, a strategic evolution of its distributed control systems (DCS) portfolio designed to bridge the gap between legacy reliability and next-generation industrial computing. The program addresses a critical dilemma faced by heavy industries operating large, complex infrastructures: how to adopt industrial artificial intelligence, edge analytics, and advanced cloud technologies without threatening the uptime, safety, and deterministic nature of mission-critical production environments.

By building directly upon its massive global DCS installed base, ABB provides a non-disruptive, step-by-step migration path for operators using trusted platforms like ABB Ability System 800xA, Symphony Plus, and Freelance. Rather than requiring capital-intensive and risky rip-and-replace overhauls, the new framework allows plant managers to introduce modular digital tools at their own pace. This approach mitigates operational risk while answering immediate market pressures, including strict regulatory compliance, heightened cybersecurity threats, and a shrinking pool of specialized labor.

The foundation of the Automation Extended ecosystem relies on a strict separation-of-concerns architecture. This design bifurcates the plant's operational technology into two distinct, securely interconnected environments:

• The control environment, which functions as a software-defined domain dedicated exclusively to executing robust, highly reliable, and deterministic real-time control loops for core process automation.

• The digital environment, which acts as an decoupled, agile space where engineers can deploy advanced machine learning models, predictive analytics software, and edge intelligence applications without any risk of interfering with the primary control logic.

To ensure seamless data orchestration between these two spheres, ABB has integrated an OPC UA unified architecture backbone paired with cloud-native infrastructure technologies. By utilizing containerization and microservices, the platform allows plants to run advanced asset management and predictive maintenance applications. These tools continuously monitor critical machinery, proactively detecting process anomalies and diagnosing faults before they lead to costly unplanned downtime.

The entire multi-environment ecosystem is supported by a unified lifecycle management service model, streamlining maintenance and software updates across diverse hardware form factors. The rollout of the Automation Extended capabilities will commence with the upcoming software releases of ABB’s flagship process automation systems, reinforcing the company's commitment to industrial interoperability and sustainable, high-performance plant optimization.

Written by: Raymond Vance, a senior systems engineer and process control consultant with sixteen years of experience designing fault-tolerant architectures and managing large-scale DCS modernization projects for the oil and gas and chemical processing industries.