This is the third update to the Smart Automation Market Overview. One of the vendors has discontinued sales of its platform. Two revised comparison tables provide greater transparency regarding the differences. And one table that was not sufficiently informative has been removed. It is now clear that open, Linux-based platforms provide a strong foundation for the next, digital phase of industrial automation. Currently, these platforms are available exclusively from Germany and Austria.
This market overview was first published in 2024. The enormous innovative power of Linux platforms for industry was evident. The opportunity to escape the rigidity and dependencies of monolithic, proprietary automation controllers was promising. It remains so today. Even if the current global and German-speaking regional conditions do not exactly foster the courage to embrace the new.
It is probably no exaggeration to say that the openness, flexibility, and speed of smart automation platforms could even be one of the key drivers helping the industrial sector emerge from the current crisis. This is particularly true in light of the cybersecurity regulations set to take effect next year under the Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) and the Machinery Regulation, which many companies can comply with much more easily by leveraging such platforms than they could on their own.
What’s new in the overview?
Lenze has withdrawn from the open-platform market. Nupano was already nowhere to be found at SPS 2025. Unfortunately, there was no one at Lenze who could explain this withdrawal. But so far, it is the only platform that has been discontinued. All the others listed in the previous overview are still active.
This article includes only the interoperability table. All three comparison tables can be found in the platform comparison.
Cybersecurity is becoming increasingly important, and there have been some developments in this table over the past year. By 2027 at the latest, machine manufacturers must be able to provide traceability and updateability for the software supplied with their machines and systems throughout the entire lifecycle, and reliably manage responsibilities and access rights. To this end, platform manufacturers are increasingly able to provide certifications that significantly simplify rule-based operation for users.
A column for Margo has been added to the Interoperability table. Since 2024, Margo has been a Linux Foundation initiative for an open standard for the interoperability of edge devices in automation. Numerous leading global automation providers are active here, and several providers from the Smart Automation market overview have also joined the initiative in the meantime.
The wide range of potential users
Finally, the Target Markets table provides insight into which industries each platform provider primarily targets. In theory, any platform can be used in any industry—and even beyond specific industries. Some providers actually check the box in every industry column. Others, however, see their customers primarily in specific sectors and focus their software app development mainly on those areas.
Compared to the last market overview, the range of listed target industries has expanded. Manufacturing, automotive, military technology, mobile machinery, and medical technology have been added. In contrast, columns that are considered more general categories, such as mechanical engineering, plant engineering, or infrastructure, have been omitted.
The Application Fields table has been removed. The reason: Theoretically, any Linux platform can be used for any application. It is far more interesting and insightful to see which industries the manufacturers are focusing on.
If there is a market-ready Linux platform that is not listed in this overview, please let me know. To do so, simply click on the button “Missing? Please register” on the Smart Automation page. Inclusion is free of charge. Providers interested in being included in the overview will receive access to the online survey that serves as its basis.