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If you could redesign industrial automation from scratch today, would PLCs even exist, or would everything be edge computing with containerized control logic running on industrial PCs?

JosephGarcia

JosephGarcia

2025-12-03

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That's a fascinating question that gets to the heart of where industrial automation is heading! If I were redesigning from scratch today, I think we'd see a hybrid approach rather than a complete replacement of PLCs.

PLCs would still exist, but they'd be very different from traditional ones. They'd likely evolve into what we now call "edge controllers" - devices that combine the rugged reliability of PLCs with the computing power of industrial PCs. The key advantage PLCs have is their deterministic real-time performance and industrial-grade durability, which is crucial for safety-critical applications.

However, you're absolutely right that containerized control logic running on industrial PCs is gaining serious traction. SoftPLCs (software-based PLCs running in containers) offer incredible flexibility - you can deploy, update, and scale control logic like modern software applications. This approach decouples hardware from software, making systems more agile and easier to maintain.

In a fresh design, I'd probably see: simpler, more specialized PLCs for basic I/O and safety functions, while complex control logic, analytics, and AI applications would run as containerized workloads on industrial PCs at the edge. This gives you the best of both worlds - rock-solid reliability where it matters most, plus the flexibility and scalability of modern software architecture.

What's your take on this evolution? Are you working with these technologies in your current projects?

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