Trends in Automation and Control Systems Needing Efficient Software Engineering

Real-time control systems software running in a chemical, refinery, steel plant or in electric power grid is complex. The system has to run reliability for several years without interruptions with availability close to 100%, deterministic response time in milliseconds, sometimes in microseconds, and be secure against increasing cyber threats. Increasing connectivity, evolving concepts like Industrial IoT, Industry 4.0, Smartgrid, Microgrid, and software hosting and delivery models make it more complex. Software engineering plays an important role to design such high performance and critical software systems. It needs greater sharing of best practices among general purpose and control software, continuous application of intelligence in tools and inculcating good software engineering habits.