Virtual PLCs and AI Reshaping the PLC Market
According to ABI Research analysis, the PLC market is undergoing significant transformation driven by virtual PLCs (vPLCs), AI, and Open Software Defined Automation (OSDA) . Until 2023, only Beckhoff and CODESYS offered vPLCs. Now, a range of companies including Siemens, Emerson Electric, and Schneider Electric offer vPLCs .
Key Projections :
vPLC revenue is expected to become 16% of the total PLC market by 2030
Agentic AI enables generating PLC code autonomously
Integrated Development Environment becomes a much less important differentiator
Industry Push :
Schneider Electric, Phoenix Contact, and the Universal Automation Group are promoting OSDA and IEC 61499 adoption, aiming to make all software and hardware interoperable.
Beneficiaries :
IPC providers with technologies enabling vPLCs and capacity for compute-intensive AI tasks
Players offering both IPCs and PLCs like Siemens, Beckhoff, and Rockwell Automation
