Synergies of Operation, Information, and Communication Technology for Solving New Societal and Industrial Challenges: Future Directions

The world is facing a series of new societal and industrial challenges, such as continuously increasing costs in food and energy supply and a short supply of skilled labor. To solve these new challenges, operation, information, and communication technology is entering a new era with more focus targeted to cost reduction and energy savings. In this article, how innovative technologies including virtualization, low-code development, digital twins, and industrial agents can support and impact digital and green transitions is analyzed. In addition, how these technologies will help the security and sustainability of future industrial automation systems is also discussed.