Latest news with #smartfactories
Forbes
16-07-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Smart And Vulnerable? You Don't Have To Be.
Workers in a factory working with metal on the shop floor. In 2022, Finnish cybersecurity expert Mikko Hypponen published a book called If It's Smart, It's Vulnerable. The concept is strikingly simple: the more digitally connected our lives become, the more opportunities we create for bad actors to attack us. It's a warning that applies to all of us – at home, at work or on the move. But for manufacturers, it carries particular weight. As the industry moves into a new era of smart factories and connected operations, many firms find themselves still relying on technologies that weren't originally designed with connectivity – or cybersecurity – in mind. Long-time bedrocks of manufacturing operations, like SCADA systems, PLCs and RTUs have been transformative in optimizing throughput, minimizing downtime and delivering consistency. Yet asked to integrate seamlessly with cloud-based systems and AI-powered analytics and these same tools may open the door to cyber worlds collide It's a problem that's not going away. According to figures from the manufacturing leadership council, over 70% of manufacturing equipment in North America is more than 20 years old – much of it operational technology (OT). And with every passing year, it gets more and more outdated. This includes supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems, the backbone of plant production. Indeed, as more IoT devices and AI tools emerge, the attack surface for SCADA systems is growing and the threat of disruption and data loss increases. In an industry where uptime and quality are the name of the game, that's not a risk any manufacturer can afford to ignore. Yet cybersecurity in smart manufacturing isn't just a technical challenge; it's an organizational one. To create a truly connected and secure infrastructure, companies must find a way to bring together the two contrasting worlds of OT and IT. For OT teams, the goal has always been clear: deliver resilience and efficiency through process stability, reliability, and consistency. IT, on the other hand, has a very different brief. By regularly implementing new tools and updated security protocols, their path to resilience is built on having the agility to stay ahead of an ever-evolving security leaders: the new connection-makers Merging these dichotomous worlds is no easy task – which is where risk leaders come in. Unlike function-specific teams, risk managers see the bigger picture of how outdated systems, emerging technologies, and evolving threats converge to determine enterprise vulnerability. They also have the cross-functional credibility to bring together IT and OT leaders, not just for dialogue, but for strategic decision-making. Of course, they can't just snap their fingers and overcome years of differing aims and approaches. But here's what they can do:Shared mindsets, not siloed missions If this sounds like a cultural shift, that's because it is. This year's Threat Intelligence Index makes it clear just how quickly and expansively cybercrime is growing. This requires a shift in how manufacturers view and act upon risk. But it's not a demand for OT to think like IT – or vice versa. Instead, it requires a blended mindset built on mutual understanding and a recognition that each group brings something essential to the table. IT knows, for example, how to implement modern controls and drive awareness across the business. Whereas OT are the masters of keeping operations running smoothly. When those strengths are combined, not traded off, the result is a more secure and resilient organization. Boards and executive teams have a role to play here too. Cyber risk should be treated as a critical component of operational performance, not a standalone IT issue. That means giving risk leaders a seat at the table and encouraging joint planning between functions that haven't traditionally worked side by than the sum of its parts As AI and other connected technologies become ever more embedded in manufacturing operations, now is the moment for leaders to act. Smart factories are no longer a vision of tomorrow; they are here and reshaping the industry today. Contrary to what some leaders may think, building security into the tools and technologies that power modern manufacturing needn't slows things down either. For manufacturers, it's not a question of choosing between efficiency and security; true enterprise resilience is about designing for both. From the shopfloor to the supply chain, Mikko Hyponnen is right: if it's smart, it's vulnerable. And nowhere more so than in manufacturing. However, if it's connected and protected, then it's something even more powerful. It's future-ready.
South China Morning Post
15-07-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Tech war: Nvidia says it will resume sales of H20 graphic processing chips to China
Nvidia will resume selling its H20 chips in China and release a new graphics processing unit (GPU) for the country in compliance with US export restrictions, according to a statement amid the visit by its CEO Jensen Huang to Beijing. Nvidia has applied to sell the H20 GPU again, and the US government has 'assured Nvidia that licenses will be granted' and Nvidia is expected to start deliveries soon, according to a company statement on Tuesday. Nvidia 'hopes to start deliveries soon', it said. Huang also announced a 'new, fully compliant' Nvidia RTX PRO GPU that 'is ideal for digital twin AI for smart factories and logistics. Huang is visiting Beijing and will attend a big supply chain conference as a guest of honor. More to follow...
Zawya
22-05-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Make it in the Emirates 2025: MoIAT and Noventiq partner to digitally transform 20 UAE factories with industry 4.0 technologies
UAE, Abu Dhabi: The Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology (MoIAT) has signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with global digital transformation leader Noventiq to accelerate the adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies across the UAE's industrial sector. The MoU was signed by H.E. Omar Suwaina Al Suwaidi, Undersecretary of MoIAT, and Sergey Chernovolenko, President and COO of Noventiq, during the Make it in the Emirates 2025 event, currently underway at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre and will continue through 22. As part of the agreement, 20 national factories will undergo digital upgrades to become model smart facilities, powered by cutting-edge Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies. Noventiq will provide services valued at AED 3 million in support of MoIAT's Industry 4.0 program, contributing to the UAE's broader vision of advancing industrial innovation and digital transformation.
South China Morning Post
12-05-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Shenzhen-based Huawei, UBTech join forces to bring humanoid robots to factories and homes
Huawei Technologies has partnered with UBTech Robotics to advance the development of humanoids for factories and households, according to a joint announcement on Monday, as China ramps up broader adoption of these machines. Advertisement The agreement – signed in tech hub Shenzhen, in southern Guangdong province, where both companies are headquartered – aims to 'accelerate the transition of humanoid robots from laboratory innovations' to 'large-scale adoption in industrial, household and other scenarios'. The two companies plan to collaborate to create smart factories featuring humanoid robots and develop bipedal or wheeled service robots for household use. Under the agreement, Huawei will also help UBTech establish an innovation centre focused on 'embodied intelligence', a form of artificial intelligence (AI) that embeds cognitive processes in a body. The partnership would leverage Huawei's growing strengths in its self-developed Ascend and Kunpeng AI processors, as well as its cloud computing and large AI model technologies, the two parties said. Huawei is increasing its partnerships and investments in the robotics industry. Photo: Xinhua Shares of Hong Kong-listed UBTech rose nearly 10 per cent on Monday. The benchmark Hang Seng Index closed 3 per cent higher in its best one-day performance since early March, on the back of optimism over a resolution of the US-China trade war
