As we wrap up 2025, two key developments are reshaping how we think about industrial automation and smart manufacturing. While the automotive industry pushes deeper into software-defined vehicles (SDVs), manufacturing floors are finally embracing AI-driven decision making in practical, measurable ways.
Software-Defined Vehicles Meet Industrial Automation
The partnership between NXP Semiconductors and Rimac Technology caught my attention because it’s not just about cars—it’s about how centralized architectures are becoming the backbone of modern industrial systems. Their collaboration around NXP’s S32E2 real-time processors for software-defined vehicles mirrors what we’re seeing in smart factories: a shift from distributed, siloed systems to centralized, software-driven control.
This trend has direct implications for plant engineers. The same architectural principles driving SDVs—centralized processing, real-time decision making, and software flexibility—are exactly what Industry 4.0 implementations need. When you can update functionality through software rather than rewiring hardware, you’re talking about the kind of agility that separates leading manufacturers from the pack.
AI Moves from Hype to Reality in Manufacturing
Speaking of practical implementations, the recent interview with JSW Steel USA’s Alec Glenn and Infinite Uptime’s Karthikeyan Natarajan highlights something I’ve been seeing more of lately: manufacturers talking about AI results rather than AI potential. This shift matters because it signals we’re past the experimental phase and into genuine industrial automation value creation.
What’s particularly interesting is how these AI implementations are focusing on decision-making processes rather than just data collection. Too many IIoT projects get stuck gathering massive amounts of data without clear paths to actionable insights. The companies seeing real ROI are those that design AI systems around specific operational decisions—when to perform maintenance, how to optimize production schedules, where bottlenecks are likely to emerge.
Meanwhile, Mikroe’s new CAN-LIN SBC Click board represents the other side of this evolution—the democratization of industrial communication protocols. When development boards make it easier for engineers to prototype industrial systems, we see faster innovation cycles and more experimentation with new approaches.
Looking ahead, I’m curious whether the convergence of automotive SDV architectures and manufacturing automation will accelerate faster than most of us expect. Are we about to see industrial control systems adopt automotive-grade software update capabilities? The implications for both cybersecurity and operational flexibility could be game-changing.