AI‑orchestrated system design

“Industrial automation has reached a point where incremental efficiency gains are no longer enough,” said Jordan Reynolds, vice president of artificial intelligence and autonomy, Rockwell Automation. “By orchestrating AI across digital twins, controller engineering and validation, we’re showing how manufacturers can move beyond fragmented workflows to a more autonomous, outcome‑driven engineering model that delivers value much earlier in the lifecycle.”

Industrial automation engineering has traditionally relied on fragmented workflows, with separate tools for simulation, controller development, manual PLC configuration, and testing. Even advanced digital twin platforms typically stop at simulation, leaving the translation from model to executable controller code manual time‑consuming and highly dependent on individual expertise.

At Hannover Messe, Rockwell Automation will show how this gap can be addressed through the integration of Emulate3D digital twin and emulation software, copilot in visual studio code as an AI‑assisted engineering interface and FactoryTalk Design Studio, a cloud‑based controller engineering platform.

Central to the demonstration is an AI‑native engineering workflow, in which AI acts as an active collaborator rather than a passive support tool. Engineers can build, refine and validate factory models through natural language interaction, accelerating design iterations while reducing complexity.

“What we’re showing is a fundamental shift in how automation projects are executed,” Reynolds said. “By combining autonomous AI agents with closed‑loop digital twin validation, engineers can move from a validated model to a fully tested controller project before any hardware is deployed. This dramatically shortens engineering and commissioning cycles, reduces risk and helps manufacturers improve productivity, sustainability and workforce safety at the same time.”

www.rockwellautomation.com