Engineer Man Factory

Empowering the smart factory

The transformation to smart factories for environmental sustainability and operational competitiveness is on its way - powered by semiconductor solutions.

Internet of Things
Industrial IoT
Article

Jul 08, 2025

The factory of the future is smart

As you enter a smart factory, you are likely to be immersed in a highly connected and data-driven environment. Can you hear the monotonous sound of the machines? You see large screens and dashboards displaying KPIs such as production rates, equipment efficiency, and quality control metrics. You continue to make your way through the factory, noticing the vast array of devices connected to the IIoT network. Small sensors, such as temperature, pressure, or vibration sensors, are constantly generating data that is transmitted to the cloud or on-premise servers for analysis. And let’s not forget the extensive use of digital twins, the virtual replicas of physical equipment and systems.

It's no secret that smart factories and the IIoT are growing to become the backbone of modern manufacturing as the advantages of an intelligent factory are self-evident: By leveraging advanced technologies and data-driven insights, intelligent factories can achieve high levels of performance and quality, while minimizing the risk of human error and ensuring a safer working environment. Moreover, the wealth of data generated by these factories enables continuous analysis and optimization, allowing for proactive maintenance and significantly reduced downtimes and incidents. Thus, it’s hardly a surprise that in a 2020 survey conducted by IoT Analytics among 150 leading manufacturers worldwide, more than 75 percent indicated that they expect a positive ROI from the technologies they use. (IoT Analytics: Industrial IoT and Industry 4.0 Case Study Report 2022; p. 15)

Tackling the challenges of the future together

Industrial enterprises are increasingly investing in digitalization to transform their operations. By doing so, they can gain greater visibility and control over their supply chains and assets, automate compliance, and optimize labor resources. Digitalization also enables improved Quality Assurance (QA), reduced errors, and increased automation, leading to higher yields and more efficient processes. Advanced technologies like digital twins, mixed reality, and Machine Learning (ML) are further accelerating this transformation, providing enterprises with a deeper understanding of their operations and empowering them to tackle current and future challenges with confidence.

Let us continue to work on this and develop innovative solutions for the Industrial Internet of Things together that will help us to master the challenges of the future. We make our contribution with reliable semiconductor solutions – we make the IIoT work.

Semiconductor solutions make the IIoT work

To achieve this vision, robust microelectronics are essential. They provide the foundation for smart, safe, and sustainable manufacturing. And this is how they do it:

Sense: Data transparency for Industry 4.0

The smart factory is based on data - from the environment, from machines and the production process. Infineon’s XENSIV™ sensor family was developed to meet today’s sensing challenges in industrial applications. Did you know that we have the broadest portfolio of sensor types on the market, giving you the widest selection of ready-to-use solutions offering fast time-to-market.

iot Sense Sensors
iot Sense Sensors
iot Sense Sensors
iot Compute Microcontrollers
iot Compute Microcontrollers
iot Compute Microcontrollers
Compute: Signal processing and control

We expect the intelligent machines and solutions in smart factories to work anytime, anywhere. At the same time, they should offer maximum safety and flexibility. Rely on our broad portfolio of secure and reliable solutions and check out our microcontroller portfolio, NOR Flash products and the EXCELON™ F-RAM.

Actuate: Empowering industrial automation

Motor control solutions from Infineon drive industrial automation applications. We provide a wide range of solutions for industrial automation power management as well as motor control and drives.

Benefit from our portfolio of smart switches for highly integrated and discrete I/O module solutions, intelligent power modules (IPMs) and discretes. 

iot Actuate Power Semiconductor
iot Actuate Power Semiconductor
iot Actuate Power Semiconductor
iot Connect
iot Connect
iot Connect
Connect: From IOs to high-speed-communication

In complex automation, each peripheral system component needs to communicate to a main control unit and to other peripherals via a reliable communication bus. CAN has emerged as the most adequate, reliable and cost-efficient communications standard in this kind of industrial application. But Wireless technologies are also starting to shape Industry 4.0.

Secure: Scalable, easy-to-integrate security solutions

Infineon’s high-quality industrial security solutions let manufacturers monitor whether or not communication is restricted to authorized people and machines only. They also reliably reveal when a production system has been manipulated, helping avoid unnecessary downtime. They also make secured software updates to devices in the field possible.

iot Security Solutions Secure
iot Security Solutions Secure
iot Security Solutions Secure

The future is now

The smart factory is no longer a vision of the future, but a reality that is already transforming the way we produce goods. With the power of IIoT, we can create a world where machines talk to each other, where production lines hum with precision, and where errors are a thing of the past. At Infineon, we are committed to empowering this vision with our reliable semiconductor solutions. Join us on this journey to create a brighter, more efficient, and more sustainable future for all.