A global energy technology company has launched what it claims is the first open software distribution control system that will add agility to water utilities and change the way they operate
Global energy technology leader Schneider Electric, has launched EcoStruxure™ Foxboro Software Defined Automation (SDA), the industry’s first open, software‑defined Distributed Control System.
“This breakthrough combines the trusted reliability of Foxboro with the agility of open, software‑defined automation, helping hybrid and process industry customers modernize faster, reduce risk, and ensure their operations are future-ready,” it said in a statement.
For decades, Foxboro DCS has served as the “brain” of industrial operations, enabling real-time control and coordination of complex processes.
“But today’s landscape demands more – greater agility, fewer costly upgrades, and simplified compliance. EcoStruxure™ Foxboro SDA delivers exactly that: flexibility, scalability, and cost efficiency without sacrificing reliability.”
Why this matters for water & wastewater:
In the water and wastewater sector, where infrastructure often spans multiple decades and downtime is not an option, the platform enables a new modernisation path, it said.
“For example, a utility operating aging treatment plants can layer advanced process control, real‑time water quality monitoring, and enhanced cybersecurity onto existing PLCs and I/O – without replacing control cabinets or interrupting service to communities.
This allows operators to meet tightening regulatory requirements, improve energy efficiency, and extend asset life, while avoiding large capital projects and prolonged shutdowns. Modernisation becomes incremental, flexible, and far lower risk.
“For water utilities facing climate volatility and aging infrastructure, EcoStruxure™ Foxboro SDA enables rapid adaptation. A wastewater treatment facility can integrate predictive analytics for pump failures, dynamically optimize aeration energy use, and securely connect to cloud-based compliance reporting, while keeping legacy control hardware in place.The result is improved operational resilience, lower operating costs, and faster progress toward sustainability targets without risking service continuity.”
Decreasing downtime
The importance of open industrial systems was highlighted in Schneider Electric’s recent global research report with Omdia, which uncovered closed systems cost mid-sized industrial companies 7.5% of revenue through downtime, inefficiencies, and compliance retrofits every year.
“EcoStruxure™ Foxboro SDA marks a defining moment for industrial automation,” Schneider Electric Senior Vice President, Process Automation Hany Fouda,said.
“By embracing openness and software-defined architecture, we’re giving our customers the agility to modernize without compromise, protecting their investments while unlocking future-ready capabilities. This evolution is a strategic enabler for digital transformation, and Schneider Electric is proud to lead it.”
Developed by listening to real customer challenges; aging systems, rising costs, and the need to do more with less, Foxboro SDA decouples hardware from software to protect existing investments and enable a smooth, lower-risk modernization path. The result is simpler workflows, faster insights, and sustainable performance gains.
As the first software-defined distributed control system, Foxboro SDA is a validated, software-defined automation architecture for distributed control systems powered by EcoStruxure Automation Expert (EAE). It enables interoperability, rapid deployment, and fit-for-purpose configurations while maintaining high availability. The system ensures digital continuity by keeping data connected and consistent throughout the plant lifecycle—from design to production to maintenance. This enables automated workflows, better product quality, and easy integration with analytics for smarter, real-time business decisions.
Customers benefit from a future-ready upgrade path, built-in cybersecurity, and simplified operations that support IT/OT convergence and advanced technologies like AI and machine learning. Foxboro SDA provides our customers with a control solution that is unbound by hardware, engineered for agility and empowered by data. It’s more than a system – Foxboro SDA is a strategic enabler for digital transformation.
“The launch of EcoStruxure™ Foxboro SDA marks a major milestone in the evolution of process automation,” at ARC Advisory Group Vice President Craig Resnick,.
“By decoupling control logic from hardware, Schneider Electric is providing manufacturers with the agility to scale, adapt, and simplify their operations. This software defined approach helps to reduce maintenance costs, protect legacy automation investments, and ensure digital continuity throughout the entire plant lifecycle. With cybersecurity built into its core, and a commitment to open, interoperable standards, Foxboro SDA enables manufacturers to modernize at their own pace, accelerate IT and OT convergence, and increase their adoption of next generation technologies, such as AI, edge computing, and autonomous operations.”
