In your opinion, what significance does Industrial AI have for the European automation market today?

Industrial AI has the potential to revolutionize the automation market entirely, and that revolution will begin in Europe. The European region consistently drives strong innovation and demand, and we expect our European supplier partners to continue their innovative designs to suit the industrial AI revolution.

We will see increased adoption of AI-driven manufacturing for predictive maintenance, minimizing unplanned downtime and extending asset life. This will be achieved through process automation, advanced analytics for real-time decision making, and robotic automation, which will enhance capabilities for quality control and efficiency. The road to this adoption is already being paved with significant investments in regional AI infrastructure. We can expect more AI integration into automation software and increased bridging between research and the industry.

Which trends in the field of Industrial AI do you currently see particularly strong among your manufacturer partners and customers?

AI has taken the entire world by storm and is being used to optimize production processes, predict equipment failures and enhance quality control. We are seeing AI being utilized to program PLCs and robotics, making accurate forecasts and production scheduling smoother, among other benefits.

Over the past couple of years, we have been seeing digital twin technology becoming more popular across factory floors. Digital twins give manufacturers the ability to accurately view their entire floor in a simulated environment. This provides manufacturers the opportunity to see how changes in programming would affect real-world production, reducing design cycle time and testing and improving outcomes. Adding AI can enhance the accuracy and realism of digital twins by using computer vision, machine learning and deep learning to analyze data from sensors, cameras and other sources.

AI can also generate realistic 3D models of physical objects and environments using generative adversarial networks (GANs) and other techniques. AI can enable digital twins to run simulations and scenarios to optimize performance, efficiency and sustainability. AI can also help digital twins learn from their own experiences, adapt to changing conditions, and provide insights and recommendations based on the data and outcomes of the simulations.  

Which Industrial AI-enabled products and components have you recently added to your portfolio?

We have expanded DigiKey’s portfolio with AI-enabled technologies, including:

• Industrial edge-like vision systems with onboard AI that can detect and take action without a central server.
• AI-enhanced sensors that support predictive maintenance, smart energy monitoring and environmental monitoring.
• AI control and robotics with embedded machine learning and HMIs that provide predictive alerts.

What consulting or support services do you offer customers who want to use AI in industry?

We recommend that customers continue to visit DigiKey’s Application and Technology pages for industry trends, guides, and content, as we actively work to publish more resources related to Industrial AI. DigiKey’s TechForum is a great place for engineers to collaborate on product and technology questions with experts around the world.

From your perspective as a distributor – what are the biggest hurdles companies currently face when implementing Industrial AI?

One big challenge in implementation is integrating with legacy hardware. Brownfield factories are very prominent in both Europe and North America, and a key question is whether new AI-enabled products will be able to communicate with existing PLC or SCADA products. Bridging these products could require middleware to enable the solution.

Data quality is another challenge. Plants will need to collect enough data to support AI and machine learning, including a historical baseline to determine when an abnormal event might be occurring. Lastly, cybersecurity is an increasingly popular topic, and as a distributor, we need to ensure we are providing compliance guides alongside the technical specs.

Which AI technologies or product categories do you believe will be particularly important for your product range in the next five years?

One AI technology we are closely following is Edge AI, which uses artificial intelligence directly within a device, computing near the data source, rather than an off-site data center with cloud computing. It offers reduced latency, faster processing, a reduced need for constant internet connectivity and can lower privacy concerns. This technology represents a significant shift in how data is processed. As demand for real-time intelligence grows, edge AI is well-positioned to continue its substantial impact in industrial automation.

The most significant value of edge AI is the speed it can provide for critical applications. Unlike cloud/data center AI, edge AI does not send data over network links, hoping for a reasonable response time. Instead, edge AI is doing computation locally (often on a real-time operating system), which excels at providing timely responses. For situations like conducting machine vision on a factory line and knowing a product can be diverted within a second, edge AI is well-equipped.

How does DigiKey, as a distributor, use AI internally? What added value does the technology offer you, and how do your customers benefit from it?

From logistics and procurement to customer service and internal optimization, AI at DigiKey is enabling smarter, faster and more sustainable outcomes. Across the supply chain, it has optimized operations in transportation and warehouse fulfillment while increasing visibility and the customer experience.

Our goal at DigiKey is to embed AI into every facet of our operations. We currently have more than 70 AI-related projects in development across our business. Five dedicated teams are focused on digital innovation, reimagining how AI can enhance existing processes and discovering new applications that do not yet exist.