Schneider Electric EcoStruxure Foxboro SDA

2026-02-10 · Publisher : Schneider Electric · Domain : Industry 4.0 & 5.0

Schneider Electric launches EcoStruxure Foxboro SDA, presented as the first open, software-defined distributed control system (DCS), decoupling software from hardware to modernize process plants.

### Background On 10 February 2026, Schneider Electric announces **EcoStruxure Foxboro Software Defined Automation (SDA)**, which it presents as the industry's first open, software-defined distributed control system (**DCS**). Foxboro, the historic "brain" of many process plants, is modernized by separating the software layer from hardware. ### Key facts - Architecture decoupling software and hardware for vendor independence and interoperability. - Validated automation architecture for DCS built on **EcoStruxure Automation Expert (EAE)**, with high availability. - Secure-by-design and compliant with **IEC 62443-3-3**; ready for IT/OT convergence and AI/ML integration. - Digital data continuity from design to operations, and predictive maintenance. - Vendor data: according to a Schneider Electric study with Omdia, closed systems cost mid-sized industrial companies **7.5% of revenue** every year (downtime, inefficiencies, compliance retrofits). ### Why it matters In process industries (chemicals, mining, energy), migrating a DCS is a heavy, risky project that is often postponed. A software-defined DCS promises gradual modernization without replacing all hardware. After the virtual PLC on the discrete side (Audi–Siemens), software-defined automation also reaches process control. ### Takeaway Software-defined automation extends from discrete manufacturing to process industries, with openness as the central selling point.

Tags : Automatisation logicielle, Industrie de process, Schneider Electric, Cybersécurité OT