The ZVEI Automation Association presents a comprehensive practical guide for the next step in industrial transformation with its white paper "From automation to action – Agentic AI paves the way to software-defined industry". According to a press release, the paper explains why software-defined industry (SDI) and agent-based AI will play a key role in competitive production processes in the future. It also describes the technological, organisational and political framework conditions that need to be created in order to successfully implement this new paradigm.
With its new white paper "From automation to action – Agentic AI for the software-defined industry", the ZVEI Automation Association presents a comprehensive guide to the next stage of industrial development. According to a press release, the paper shows why the software-defined industry (SDI) and agentic AI are becoming the central paradigm of future-proof production. The white paper also highlights the technological, organisational and political requirements that must be met to achieve this.
Software-defined industry ensures flexibility, productivity and resilience
The paper describes a significant change: while Industry 4.0 has laid important foundations, classic automation logic is no longer sufficient to ensure flexibility, productivity and resilience. Software-defined industry, on the other hand, consistently decouples production logic from hardware. Agent-based AI enables autonomous decision preparation, self-configuring systems and dynamic orchestration of complex production systems.
The three main theses of the white paper:
- Industry: Competitiveness and securing skilled workers can only be achieved with software-defined, AI-supported production systems.
- Society: AI strengthens human capabilities and makes technical knowledge more widely accessible.
- Politics: Open standards, pragmatic regulation and competitive energy prices ensure technological sovereignty.
The white paper presents specific use cases
The white paper also presents specific use cases – from adaptive production lines and predictive maintenance to new business models such as production-as-a-service – and formulates clear recommendations for action for industry, politics and society. It thus provides a strategic compass for the path to a resilient and innovative production future.
The white paper can be downloaded free of charge from the ZVEI website:
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