In 2015, edge computing entered the technology maturity curve released by Gartner, an IT consulting service company. Today, it has set off a wave of Industrial applications. Various Industrial organizations, enterprises and research institutions are actively initiating and promoting the research, standardized application and industrialization of edge computing. Edge computing technology is becoming more and more mature, the scale of the industry is also growing rapidly, and the application scenarios are becoming more and more abundant, and the help of ecology will also inject new vitality into the development of edge computing.
Industrial edge computing drives the convergence of OT and IT
Because the computing nodes are far away from the terminal, traditional cloud computing cannot meet the low-latency and high-reliability requirements of industrial enterprises on-site. Edge computing sinks computing, storage, network and other resources to the network edge near the terminal side, which can not only meet the real-time and reliable response needs of enterprises in the industrial Internet scenario, but also integrate new technologies such as artificial intelligence and big data to promote enterprise digitization transformation.
Edge computing can complete data connection, data optimization and intelligent decision-making under the condition of satisfying security and real-time performance, so that data can truly exert its value and solve the problems of quality, cost, efficiency, safety and other aspects of industrial sites. The continuous development of edge computing has accelerated the deep integration of OT and IT, showing an increasingly important influence in the era of the Industrial Internet.
At Siemens, the industrial edge is divided into three layers that perform different functions. First, the top-most industrial edge center is used to monitor multiple industrial edge management platforms, and can store, browse, and download industrial edge apps. Second, an industrial edge management platform at the second tier can centrally manage the software of all connected edge devices. At the factory floor level, the platform can monitor the status of hundreds of devices at the same time, and install edge applications and upgrade software functions on target edge devices. The third layer is the device layer. Edge devices deployed with industrial edge operating systems can collect and process data at the data generation site, and support integration with automation devices to execute containerized edge applications. An edge device that can run multiple apps at the same time. Based on such a system architecture, Siemens has released solutions for specific application scenarios.
The industrial edge mall and application solutions drive the scene to accelerate the landing
Specific application scenarios are critical to the implementation and continuous optimization of industrial edge technologies. The application of edge technology by enterprises often faces problems such as high technical complexity, difficult deployment, and poor compatibility with existing equipment and other solutions. While these challenges are delaying the implementation of edge technologies, they are also hindering the success of enterprise digital transformation.
An open software platform can promote the further development of the industrial edge ecology. Not long ago, we officially launched the Siemens Industry Edge Mall (www.siemens-iestore.com.cn) to provide various application software independently developed by Siemens. At present, more than 20 edge apps have been launched, covering three types of communication connection, data processing and functional applications, to meet the needs of users in different application scenarios. In the future, the Siemens Industry Edge Mall will launch more feature-rich apps to showcase the latest achievements of Siemens’ edge ecosystem, which is an important milestone for Siemens to promote the progress of the industry’s edge ecosystem.
Recently, we released two industrial edge application solutions: production visualization and OT/IT data seamless connection. We want to harness the value of data to help industrial companies achieve digital transformation.
The production visualization application solution can help factories achieve plug-and-play and rapid deployment, and can perform local real-time data analysis without production shutdown, helping factories to reduce costs and increase efficiency. This application package can be used for production visualization analysis in different application scenarios, such as OEE monitoring and takt analysis of automobile production.
The OT/IT data seamless connection application solution helps factories collect a large amount of data at the edge, and upload the data to the cloud after cleaning. Save traffic and bandwidth.
Siemens will continue to cooperate with its partners to actively promote the above two application solutions, implement them in specific projects, and continue to help the digital transformation of Chinese industrial enterprises.
Growing Ecosystem Promotes Thriving Edge Computing Industry
In addition to providing a complete set of software and hardware product architecture, application store, technical support, and communication community, Siemens Industrial Edge is also committed to establishing and expanding the industrial edge ecosystem to create more value for users and partners.
Siemens’ growing edge ecosystem, including system integrators, original equipment manufacturers, multiple application development partners, solution partners and engineering service partners in the IT field, will provide unlimited potential for partners and customers to develop new business models . At the 2022 Industrial Edge Ecology Conference, we have expanded to dozens of edge computing ecosystem partners.
If you do not reject the flow of people, you will be the river and the sea. The future of the industrial fringe is not created by one person at a time, but requires multiple efforts to open it up. As edge computing enters industrial applications, the value of the ecosystem will become more prominent and become a new driving force for the sustainable development of edge computing.
2022 is the 150th year that Siemens and China have been together. Siemens has always been brave in innovation, actively promoting technological innovation in China’s industry, embracing the wave of digitalization, and empowering the digital transformation of industrial enterprises. Today, we are promoting the development and ecological construction of industrial edge computing. I believe that, with years of innovative technology and industry experience, Siemens will surely boost the continuous enhancement of the edge ecosystem and promote the vigorous development of the edge computing industry in this new technological revolution. This also reflects Siemens’ determination to continue to take root in China and help Chinese industries move towards digitalization and intelligence.
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