The growing complexity of control application engineering continues to limit the wider adoption of open industrial automation. As IEC 61499-based systems expand across distributed and software-defined control environments, building control logic still demands significant manual work, specialized knowledge, and long development cycles.
To address this challenge, ASRock Industrial has launched AiUAC Copilot, an AI-powered engineering tool that enhances IEC 61499 application development by translating high-level control requirements into ready-to-deploy logic components. The solution simplifies the creation of IEC 61499 function blocks, reduces engineering effort, and shortens time-to-market.
By improving development efficiency, AiUAC Copilot supports more modular and vendor-neutral automation while enabling greater scalability and flexibility in distributed industrial control systems.
Key Capabilities of AiUAC Copilot
- Specification to logic translation: Generate IEC 61499 control applications from structured control specifications using natural language, reducing the need for manual construction and configuration of function blocks.
- Improved Engineering Throughput: Shorten development cycles from initial control definition to deployment, enabling more efficient validation and iteration of automation logic.
- Standards Conformant Application Output: Produce IEC 61499 compliant control logic that can be deployed directly within distributed runtime environments without additional adaptation.
- Consistent Engineering Workflow Across Control Domains: Support the generation of control logic spanning industrial I/O, motion control, fieldbus communication, and robotic subsystems within a unified authoring process.
- Reduced Dependence on Specialized Implementation Expertise: Lower the technical barrier associated with IEC 61499 application development by minimizing exposure to protocol and platform specific implementation details.
Validated on iEP-5000G for Real-World IEC 61499 Control Workflows
AiUAC Copilot has been validated on ASRock Industrial’s iEP-5000G industrial IoT Controller, which serves as a reference system for development, testing, and demonstration scenarios. The platform provides a balanced combination of compute capability, industrial I/O support, and long-term operational stability, making it well-suited for distributed IEC 61499 control workloads. While AiUAC Copilot is not hardware-bound, the iEP-5000G is commonly used as a practical deployment platform for evaluating AI-assisted control engineering workflows in real-world industrial environments.
AiUAC Copilot and AiUAC: Optimizing IEC 61499 Automation Efficiency
AiUAC Copilot is designed to complement AiUAC, the IEC 61499 compliant control runtime launched by ASRock Industrial. While AiUAC provides the execution environment for distributed, event-driven control applications, AiUAC Copilot focuses on improving the efficiency, consistency, and accessibility of the control engineering process. Together, the two solutions establish a layered automation architecture that enhances both development productivity and runtime scalability.
