Masterclass · part 01/3 · Connect · OPC Foundation
OPC UA, the common language of machines
The questionWhy do so many factory data and AI projects stall on machine connectivity, and how does an open standard solve it upstream?
Why it is a leadership topic
member companies of the OPC Foundation worldwide [3]
OPC UA companion specifications (information models per machine type or sector) [3]
of manufacturers cite limits in their data or IT/OT systems as a barrier to AI [4]
Every machine, PLC and software vendor long used its own protocol, so a monitoring or AI project often starts with months of line-by-line integration. OPC UA, released in 2008 by the OPC Foundation and standardised as IEC 62541, defines both how data is exchanged and what it means. A machine exposing its OPC UA information model can be read by an MES, a cloud platform or an AI tool without custom development. In April 2026 the Foundation announced it is converting its 430+ companion specifications into formats AI tools can use directly (RAG, MCP).
What you will take away
- What sets OPC UA apart from a plain protocol: the information model and industry companion specifications.
- How to handle a mixed fleet, including older machines that do not speak OPC UA.
- The built-in security layers (X.509 certificates, encryption, signing, auditing) and what they mean for IT.
- Why OPC UA semantics are becoming a prerequisite for AI to understand shop-floor data.
Checklist: 6 questions before connecting a line
- Which decision do you want to inform?Start from the use (downtime, quality, energy), not from the list of available tags.
- Is there a companion specification for your machines?More than 430 models exist; reusing them avoids reinventing the semantics.
- What about machines without OPC UA?Plan a gateway or a non-intrusive sensor rather than leaving older equipment out.
- Client-server or PubSub?Client-server to query a machine, PubSub to broadcast to several systems.
- Who manages certificates and access rights?OPC UA security relies on X.509 certificates, which need an owner on the IT/OT side.
- Who owns the plant data model?Without an owner, every project rebuilds its own dictionary and the data becomes local again.
The speaker
Stefan Hoppe
President and Executive Director, OPC Foundation
Head of the OPC Foundation since 2018, after leading its European branch from 2010. Before that, almost twenty years at Beckhoff Automation. The OPC Foundation maintains OPC UA, the international standard for industrial interoperability.
FAQ
Does OPC UA replace existing fieldbus protocols?
No. OPC UA sits above them: it describes and carries data between machines, PLCs and information systems, including through gateways for existing equipment.
Do I need to be an automation expert to follow the masterclass?
No. The talk is aimed at industrial, operations and IT/OT leaders. It covers architecture choices and their consequences, not programming.
How does OPC UA relate to artificial intelligence?
AI needs data whose meaning is explicit. OPC UA information models provide that semantics, and the OPC Foundation is converting its specifications so AI tools can use them.
The other talks
Attend the masterclass
Thursday 10 December 2026, M Social Hotel Paris, 12 bd Haussmann. By invitation, free, limited seats.