A Layered Middleware for OT/IT Convergence to Empower Industry 5.0 Applications

We are still in the midst of Industry 4.0 (I4.0), with more manufacturing lines being labeled as smart thanks to the integration of advanced ICT in Cyber–Physical Systems (CPS). While I4.0 aims to provision cognitive CPS systems, the nascent Industry 5.0 (I5.0) era goes a step beyond, aiming to build cross-border, sustainable, and circular value chains benefiting society as a whole. An enabler of this vision is the integration of data and AI in the industrial decision-making process, which does not exhibit yet a coordination between the Operation and Information Technology domains (OT/IT). This work proposes an architectural approach and an accompanying software prototype addressing the OT/IT convergence problem. The approach is based on a two-layered middleware solution, where each layer aims to better serve the specific differentiated requirements of the OT and IT layers. The proposal is validated in a real testbed, employing actual machine data, showing the capacity of the components to gracefully scale and serve increasing data volumes.

Conclusion

This concluding chapter argues that competition law enforcement is doubly demanding for authorities in developing countries that are often strapped for cash, bereft of experienced personnel, and subject to political interferences. Limited funding means that developing country authorities must select their cases carefully and set their enforcement priorities judicially to maximize their impact on consumer welfare and to help garner public support. Moreover, the lack of enforcement capacity, especially the ability to undertake complex economic analysis, would require a simplification of the legal rules. Ultimately, it is ill-advised for developing countries to transplant legal principles wholesale from the advanced jurisdictions without considering whether the original bases and justifications for these principles are applicable to their domestic environment. This is not to say that developing countries must diverge from the advanced jurisdictions in every instance. There may be situations where the same legal rule can equally apply in developing countries. Whatever decision developing countries make with respect to the transplantation of competition law, be it convergence and divergence, it should be judicious and informed.