Engineering Blog for High Performance Insights

We discuss MQTT relative to OPC UA. Not equivalents - each brings its own strengths and weaknesses to the OT environment

This article we look at how to deliver the best spectrum measurement for applications and minimize the risks of aliasing.

NOA SECURITY BRIEF: In this brief we look at key aspects that organizations need to build out to ensure that they are fully ready to conform to CRA (Cybersecurity Resiliency Act) a sustainable way. CRA compliance is looming for vendors and operators alike from now for reporting and in 15 months for product compliance. The ramification for non-compliant products is that they will lose their CE mark if they had it before. More importantly, substantial monetary penalties are

SECURITY BRIEF: In this posting we explore the operational aspects of deploying resolution of exploitable vulnerabilities by manufacturers in the field. This paper is a companion to "The Four Clocks: Manufacturers Edition" This edition addresses the asset owner and operator: the entity running the estate at the operations level, on whom NIS2’s risk-management measures and Article 23 reporting clocks bind directly (where in scope), and whose engineering obligations run throu

CRA Article 14 compliance for manufacturers

OT BRIEF: Here we analyze the reasons why automation vendors position where they are open in their offerings. Contact us for a comprehensive vendor comparison A Rule Hiding in Plain Sight Every major automation vendor now leads with openness. Open ecosystems, open standards, open architectures, open automation: the vocabulary is uniform across the tier, from the largest DCS incumbent to the newest software entrant. And on the surface the claims are individually true. The co

OT POSITION NOTE: We explore the reasons why humanoid robots will not dominate the production line. We also discuss niche applications where it can thrive. Generalized humanoid robots will not become prevalent at production-rated stations on manufacturing lines. Fit-to-function automation — fixed-arm robots, SCARA, delta pickers, cobots, purpose-built cells — will continue to dominate on cost, cycle time, precision, and maintainability. Humanoids will instead capture a diff

POSITION NOTE: Through EU legislated CRA (Cybersecurity Resiliency Act) scope is product level, efforts are made to assert compliance by way of systems architecture - will this assertion hold water? We explore this question. In late 2025, EtherCAT Technology Group consortium announced that its protocol meets the requirements of the EU Cyber Resilience Act. The initial statement, from the EtherCAT Technology Group, was carefully qualified — the protocol was said to meet IEC

MANAGEMENT BRIEF: We analyze cost down opportunities during redesign efforts. Coupling LTBs may present options that extend life and reduce product cost—maybe. Cost reduction is critical for product profitability. It ensures that investments yield high returns. During redesign efforts, we focus on identifying opportunities. The aim is to enhance efficiency while minimizing engineering redesign and manufacturing expenses. Last Time Buy (LTB) from a component manufacturer can

MANAGEMENT BRIEF: We discuss how to manage parts obsolescence. Companion to the Rationed by the Boom. From Reaction to Platform Transition Instrument “Rationed by the Boom” established the problem: AI-driven wafer allocation has sunset the memory standards beneath long-life OT platforms while those platforms sit at peak deployment, and the standard mitigations — last-time buys, qualified crosses, redesigns — each carry costs the generic playbooks understate. This brief addr

EXECUTIVE BRIEF: We look at the CRA impact to component vendors and what it means for OT device suppliers. The Cyber Resilience Act names one primary obligor: the manufacturer who places a product with digital elements on the EU market under its own name. Read narrowly, that puts the compliance burden on the device maker — the relay vendor, the RTU manufacturer, the drive OEM — and leaves the supply chain beneath them untouched. That narrow reading is already failing in prac

EXECUTIVE BRIEF: We look at required reporting becoming effective September 11, 2026 and what it means for the installed base. 24 h EARLY WARNING AFTER AWARENESS 72 h FULL NOTIFICATION VIA THE SRP €15M / 2.5% MAXIMUM FINE (GLOBAL TURNOVER) On 11 September 2026, the first operative obligation of the EU Cyber Resilience Act takes effect: manufacturers of products with digital elements sold into the EU must report actively exploited vulnerabilities and severe incidents to their

EXECUTIVE BRIEF: Legacy memory is under pressure caused by the AI boom. This paper seeks to show why this is happening and what to do about it. 172% DRAM price increase across 2025, with further rises forecast through 2026 30+ weeks Lead times for industrial-grade memory modules, up from a historical 8–10 23% Share of global DRAM wafer capacity now consumed by HBM — up from 8% The Unforeseen Inversion In the second half of 2025, a pricing anomaly appeared that appeared to

POSITION NOTE: There are a number of low-cost alternatives to incumbent LLMs - In this brief we discuss Pioneer LLMs that represent low-cost alternatives to incumbents and explore the current geopolitical and commercial landscape. ~130% INCREASE IN CODE VULNERABILITIES IN ONE CHINESE MODEL UNDER A U.S.-GOVERNMENT PERSONA (BOOZ ALLEN, MAY 2026) 60–90% STICKER-PRICE DISCOUNT OF CHINESE FRONTIER MODELS AGAINST TOP U.S. EQUIVALENTS 30%+ SHARE OF WEEKLY U.S. ENTERPRISE AI TOKEN U

AI PLANNING BRIEF: We explore the realities of deploying ML at the OT Edge Condition monitoring of rotating machinery has become the flagship use case for machine learning at the OT edge, and for a structural reason: sound and vibration are dense signals. A single sensor emits hundreds of kilobytes per second, and no plant can round-trip that volume to a cloud and expect real-time answers. Interpretation has to happen where the data is born. Add the environments that defin

EXECUTIVE BRIEF: Quantum computing will introduce cryptography challenges for Edge devices now and in the future. Here we look at this challenge relative to the OT environment. Quantum computing occupies an unusual position in the OT security conversation: it is simultaneously the reason current encryption will eventually fail and one of the technologies proposed to replace it. For OT and embedded environments, both sides of that story collide with the same structural proble

EXECUTIVE BRIEF: We examine trends in real time control compute hardware Executive Summary For seventy years, the question “what controls the machine” had one answer: a ruggedized, single-purpose box on a DIN rail, programmed in a language that looked like a relay schematic. That answer is no longer singular. Market data through mid-2026 shows the traditional PLC market still growing at a healthy 4–11% compound annual rate depending on the research house consulted — but grow

AI-Augmented Testing: Understanding Its True Value AI can now write, run, and repair test suites at an unprecedented scale. However, the crucial question remains: what do these tests truly prove? While AI can boost coverage and velocity, the real challenge is understanding the implications of a passing test when generated by a machine. AI-driven testing adoption has increased, with significant improvements in speed and efficiency. However, a test should assert intended behavi

EXECUTIVE BRIEF: In this article we look at how to instrument Minimum Viable Governance for AI in OT Environments. Understanding Minimum Viable Governance In today's fast-paced technological landscape, governance is essential. It ensures that AI systems operate effectively and ethically. Minimum Viable Governance (MVG) provides a framework for managing AI development. This approach balances innovation with risk management. MVG focuses on core principles. These principles gui

EXECUTIVE BRIEF: Agentic AI TCO - Separating Signal from Hype. The real cost of AI assisted software and firmware development. Executive Summary Agentic AI in software development is generating genuine productivity gains — and a wave of canceled projects, inflated cost structures, and governance gaps that vendors have little incentive to advertise. This briefing cuts through both the skepticism and the hype to provide a pragmatic ROI framework for engineering leaders evalu