For decades, industrial automation has been built on the simple overarching principle that reliability comes first. Distributed control systems (DCS) have delivered the deterministic, real-time control that industries depend on to keep energy flowing, chemicals processing, materials moving and goods produced safely and efficiently. Today though, that foundation is under unprecedented pressure. Market factors such as volatility, sustainability targets, cybersecurity threats, workforce change and the accelerating pace of digital innovation are all forcing industries to rethink how automation evolves without jeopardizing operations.
While the advent of Industry 4.0 saw the mass adoption of digitalization, it also highlighted the limited flexibility of existing systems to accommodate change, especially in terms of realizing the full benefits of the technology. Rapid developments in IIoT, cloud, edge and data analytics have blurred the lines between traditionally distinct IT and OT systems. In addition, operators have faced the translation of big data from field devices and connected systems into measurable gains in production efficiency, sustainability and resilience.
ABB’s new Automation Extended program is a direct response to these challenges. Instead of needing customers to replace what already works, Automation Extended provides a structured, future-ready way to modernize industrial automation while ensuring continuity, protecting prior investments and infrastructure and safeguarding mission-critical operations.
From traditional DCS to Automation Extended
Modernization in process automation has historically involved disruptive system migrations, major shutdowns or long upgrade cycles that force customers to choose between innovation and operational stability. While digital technologies, including advanced analytics, AI, edge intelligence and cloud connectivity have promised significant performance gains, integrating them into legacy control environments has often entailed increased complexity and risk.
Automation Extended represents a decisive shift. It is not a new DCS in the traditional sense, nor a bolt-on digital layer detached from control. Instead, it is providing new capabilities to ABB’s existing automation platforms through a modern, open and modular automation ecosystem, built explicitly to support continuous innovation without disturbing core control functions.
Crucially, Automation Extended builds on systems that customers already trust, specifically ABB Ability™ System 800xA®, ABB Ability™ Symphony® Plus and ABB Freelance. Tried, tested and proven in multiple applications across multiple industries, these platforms remain the backbone of plant operations, while new capabilities are introduced progressively and safely around them.
Separation of concerns
At the heart of Automation Extended is a modern modular architecture, characterized by the implementation of separation of concerns principles into two distinct but securely connected environments, each optimized for a different purpose and operating as a cohesive ecosystem.
The Control Environment is where deterministic, real-time process control takes place. It remains robust, lifecycle-resilient and cyber-secure, prioritizing availability, safety and reliability. This environment aligns closely with the traditional strengths of a DCS and continues to handle the immediate responses required for safe plant operation.
Sitting alongside it is the Digital Environment. This environment is essentially a flexible, modular space where innovation happens and where features and tools such as advanced analytics, AI-driven applications, condition monitoring, predictive maintenance, alarm management and decision-support tools can be deployed, updated or removed without affecting the core control functions.
This separation is what sets Automation Extended apart from previous approaches, by allowing each environment to evolve within its own lifecycle, at its own pace, while remaining securely interconnected. Lifecycle Services are integral to the automation ecosystem, enabling not only continuous updates but also optimizations without disrupting critical operations. This creates a trusted operational foundation for customers, allowing the automation ecosystem to remain innovative while safeguarding installed assets and ensuring seamless adaptation to future demands.
Innovation with continuity
For industrial operators, Automation Extended gives the ability to adopt new digital capabilities step by step that are aligned with their operational priorities, risk tolerance and business strategy. Rather than large, one-time transformations, modernization can now be achieved incrementally, with enhancements such as security patches, performance improvements and new applications added as and when necessary, without the cost, disruption and potential errors of carrying out a full upgrade or replacement.
With operators facing ever-pressing pressures on costs, this approach directly addresses the need to maximize the return on existing automation investments. With Automation Extended, the life and value of even decades-old plants can now be extended and augmented through access to modern technologies such as AI, edge intelligence and real-time analytics.
Automation Extended also helps customers manage the growing complexity of integrating different systems from different providers. Open standards such as OPC UA, together with cloud-native technologies and container-based architectures, enable interoperability across vendors, systems and domains. By removing issues such as compatibility and interoperability between different communications protocols, for example, they make it easier to integrate new tools, connect IT and OT environments, and scale solutions across sites or fleets.
Equally important is cyber security. The clear separation between control and digital domains, combined with lifecycle-driven services, helps organizations stay compliant with evolving regulations while reducing exposure to cyber risk.
Empowering a changing workforce
With humans still very much at the heart of industrial operations, there is a need to consider not only what new technology can do, but also how it interacts with those who need to use it.
As experienced personnel retire and are replaced by a new generation of digital-native engineers, there is a need to ensure that their operational knowledge is both preserved and made as easily accessible as possible.
Automation Extended provides intuitive, connected and collaborative tools that resonate with modern skill sets, while preserving the proven control logic and operational knowledge embedded in existing systems. Features such as advanced visualization, analytics and intelligent decision-support applications ensure that human expertise is augmented, helping operators and engineers make better decisions faster.
Crucially, Automation Extended provides the foundations for accommodating future changes. By anticipating future use cases, from predictive maintenance to expanding autonomous operations, it creates an environment where skills can evolve alongside technology, reducing the impact of knowledge gaps and supporting long-term operational resilience.
Enabling sustainability and performance at scale
Sustainability and regulatory pressures on energy, emissions and resources are increasingly reshaping the priorities of industrial companies. Meeting these pressures depends on better data, deeper insight and tighter integration between process and electrical systems.
By extending the reach of control systems into data-driven optimization, Automation Extended supports these goals. Enhancements such as continuous condition monitoring, AI-assisted performance analysis and real-time energy insights all enable more efficient operations without compromising safety or availability. Over time, these capabilities can help achieve the transition toward lower-carbon, more resource-efficient production models, while maintaining the reliability that essential infrastructure demands.
A unified lifecycle approach
Another defining element of Automation Extended is ABB’s comprehensive lifecycle services. Managing control and digital environments independently requires a coordinated approach to updates, maintenance and optimization. ABB’s lifecycle services ensure that systems remain secure, supported and future-ready throughout their operational life.
This proactive, service-driven model reduces total cost of ownership, improves system availability and assures customers that their automation environment can adapt to future demands whether driven by regulation, market shifts or technological change.
Unlocking industry’s full potential – today and tomorrow
With Automation Extended, ABB is not asking customers to abandon the systems that have served them well, but rather extending their value into the next era of industrial automation.
Automation Extended also reflects a broader shift in how industrial automation is evolving. By adopting emerging industry concepts such as NAMUR Open Architecture, software and hardware decoupling, and hyperautomation, ABB opens up new possibilities in industrial operations through greater openness, modularity, human-centric design and secure innovation.
Rather than locking customers into rigid upgrade cycles, ABB is positioning automation as a continuously evolving ecosystem that balances stability with agility, and reliability with innovation. For industries facing an uncertain future, this balance will be invaluable, providing the scalability and adaptability to meet future changes and challenges.
Stefan Basenach
He has worked at the Swiss group ABB for over 20 years and is currently Senior Vice President of Global Process Automation Technology. He is committed to implementing sustainable practices and played a key role in leading the ABB Process Automation Energy Division in Germany in supporting the energy industry in its transition towards a net zero economy.
He holds a Diplom Ingenieur degree in Technische Kybernetik (Technical Cybernetics) from the University of Stuttgart, specialising in control methodology for technical and non-technical systems with a focus on biochemical engineering.
