Automation.com Monthly May 2025

Welcome to the latest issue of the International Society of Automation’s digital magazine, Automation.com Monthly. This nine-times-a-year periodical combines ISA's InTech and AUTOMATION 2024 magazines and expands ISA’s mission of empowering the global automation community through standards and knowledge sharing. 
 
This is the 10th Annual Industrial Automation & Control Trends Report. Articles in this issue include:  

Features

Physical AI Will Reshape the World
By John Robins and Mat Gilbert
Forget LLMs. Physical AI will take us from basic automation to augmentation and fully autonomous systems.
 
Edge AI: From Niche to Mainstream
By Savannah Kunovsky
Moving beyond efficiency and automation, the conversation is shifting from “How do we use AI?” to “How does intelligence exist around us?”.
 
ExxonMobil: Pioneering Open Automation Technology
By ExxonMobil Newsroom
A U.S. chemical plant is the first to deploy the Open Process Automation at commercial
scale.
 
Augmented Reality Will Change Manufacturing Workflows
By Hélène Druet
Prepare now for the transformation and benefits that AR technology will bring. 
 
Manufacturing Business Leaders Embrace AI
By Jack Smith
A majority report using AI weekly, making it a regular part of business operations.
 
Industrial Control Systems Drive Precision Agriculture
By ISA Newsroom
Comprehensive standards can build on the integration of GPS, sensors and data analytics.
 

Insider Insights 

Exploring Industrial Communication Protocols
By Drew Thompson, Sealevel
 
Understand DC UPS Systems for Mission-Critical Applications
By Markus Bicker and Tom Bicker, Bicker Elektronik
 
Secure Data Connections to the Cloud
By Xavier Mesrobian, Skkynet
 
A Practical Approach to Sustainable Manufacturing
By Deana Fu, Mitsubishi Electric Automation
 
Remote Operations Need Peak-Performance Batteries
By Sol Jacobs, Tadiran Batteries
 
AI Will Fail Manufacturers in 2025
By Drew Baryenbruch, Real Time Automation
 
The Replace, Repair or Retrain Decision
By Brandon Glenn, Okuma America