The Formula That Locked In Half a Century
For 50 years, industrial automation ran on one formula: PLC = dedicated hardware + dedicated software. Buy a brand’s PLC, and you’re locked into its programming environment, its I/O modules, its ecosystem. That made sense when computing was scarce—fixing control software onto dedicated hardware ensured reliability. Today, it’s the biggest lock.
IDC states that the closed, tightly coupled model of traditional industrial control can no longer meet future production needs. CODESYS VP Chris Schulze puts it plainly: the PLC future is virtualized, open, and AI-enabled. Control logic is being liberated from hardware. It needs an open foundation.
EdgePLC and CODESYS are that foundation and that soul.
Spark 1: Hardware-Software Decoupling
Traditional PLCs weld hardware and software together. You can’t run CODESYS on Siemens hardware or OpenPLC on Mitsubishi. Vendor lock-in removes choice.
EdgePLC solves this on both sides.
Hardware: SOM platform design. One host, multiple computing platforms—from Allwinner T113-i to Rockchip RK3588. Upgrade from T507 to RK3588 by swapping the SOM core board, not the whole system. Hardware becomes a matrix, not a single option.
Software: Ubuntu 20.04 + Linux-RT real-time kernel, native CODESYS Runtime. CODESYS Control for Linux ARM SL supports ARMv7 and ARMv8 and installs via CODESYS Deployment Tool.
Control logic is no longer locked to a chip. Run CODESYS on T507 today; upgrade to RK3588 tomorrow—no rewrite. The SOM changes, the logic stays.
In early 2026, Beilai Technology formed a deep strategic partnership with CODESYS Software Group. The entire EdgePLC series supports genuine CODESYS authorization, helping customers avoid legal risk and pass EU/US compliance audits. Decoupling returns choice to the user.
Spark 2: Dual-Standard Integration
EdgePLC integrates IEC 61131-3 and IEC 61499.
IEC 61131-3 (CODESYS) is the traditional PLC standard: ladder diagram, function block diagram, structured text—five languages. Engineers keep their tools and existing program assets.
IEC 61499 is distributed, event-driven control. Logic triggers on events, not fixed scan cycles, for faster response. Multiple EdgePLCs form a logical “large controller” for cross-device collaboration.
Users can write familiar CODESYS logic and build event-driven applications. No forced choice between old habits and new tech. CODESYS also offers motion control, CNC + Robotics, and more—covering entry-level to flagship needs.
Spark 3: AI Inference + Control Closed Loop
In traditional setups, AI vision and PLC control are separate devices. AI infers on an industrial PC, sends results to the PLC, and the PLC acts. Latency, protocol conversion, and debugging often exceed the AI work itself.
EdgePLC closes the loop in one device. CODESYS + Linux-RT handles real-time control. EtherCAT handles high-speed sync. Linux + Docker + Python/C++ handles edge computing. The 6 TOPS NPU runs YOLOv5/8 locally. From camera capture to cylinder actuation, everything stays inside one box. NPU detects an anomaly, CODESYS logic drives the actuator via N-series I/O—no cross-device latency, no protocol loss.
CODESYS is moving this direction too, partnering with Intel to bring AI into engineering workflows—code auto-completion, natural-language generation and optimization of IEC 61131-3 code via MCP Server. EdgePLC’s NPU provides local inference; CODESYS provides the bridge from AI output to control action. Industrial AI moves from “can analyze” to “can act.”
Spark 4: One Device Replaces Three
Combine these capabilities and EdgePLC + CODESYS becomes a complete industrial edge node. Previously: PLC + industrial PC + AI device + gateway—four devices.
This is not adding features. It is redefining the industrial controller.
Genuine Authorization: Compliance for Global Markets
Beilai’s CODESYS support is officially licensed. This helps Chinese equipment pass European and American compliance audits—a strong guarantee for going global.
See It Live at CIIF 2026
October 12–16, 2026, National Exhibition and Convention Center, Shanghai.
Both have live demos. Also note: CODESYS’s ecosystem increasingly includes open hardware. Shanghai Jingheng and CODESYS will show a 32-axis synchronous motion control demo on Raspberry Pi CM5—proof that open hardware plus professional industrial software is moving from concept to reality.
Conclusion: After the Sparks, the Flame
When an open hardware foundation meets a professional industrial software soul, industrial control is redefined.
What software to run—your choice. What hardware to use—your choice. Where control logic runs—your plan.
