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Already today, 90 percent of manufacturing processes

are supported by information and communication tech-

nologies (ICT). This interconnection trend is gathering

pace, referred to as the “Fourth Industrial Revolution”

(“Industry 4.0” or “Industrial Internet”). Accelerated by

initiatives such as the German government’s project of the

same name (“Industry 4.0”), this stage of industrial devel-

opment and production promises huge resource eiciency

gains, individualized products and greater adaptability. This

is all being made possible through the intelligent sharing

of information across the entire production and logistics

chain and through rich and varied interaction between

smart products, intelligent resources and production fa-

cilities. Therefore, Industry 4.0 means more than just a

smart factory: It enables the stronger integration of

customers and business partners.

The success of Industry 4.0 hinges on powerful, secure and

smart semiconductor solutions such as our microcontrol-

lers, power devices and sensors. They are enabling the

growing penetration of embedded systems, which blur the

boundaries between physical devices and cyberspace in

favor of cyber-physical systems. Featuring our advanced

security technologies, these cyber-physical systems will

support even greater communication and alignment

between machines, robots, resources, storage systems

and services over the Internet of Things.

Automation 2

Powering today’s smart factories