Emerson has extended the benefits of virtualisation from IT environments into industrial automation by developing programmable logic controllers (PLCs) and programmable automation controllers (PACs) with native virtualisation capabilities. End users familiar with virtualisation in server rooms and desktops now gain similar advantages in factory control systems.
Native Virtualisation for Deterministic Control
Native (Type 1) virtualisation runs directly on bare-metal hardware, bypassing the need for a host operating system. This architecture ensures ultra-low latency and jitter, preserving the deterministic real-time response essential for motor control and process automation. Emerson’s advanced PLCs and PACs leverage multicore processors and memory to support multiple operating systems on a single controller. A dedicated real-time OS handles control tasks, while a guest Linux system manages supplementary computing operations without affecting the control loop.
A Type 1 hypervisor managing two virtual OSs on an industrial controller,
a RTOS for realtime control and a guest OS for edge processing
Inner and Outer Loop Architecture
This dual-loop structure can be conceptualised as an inner loop for critical control operations and an outer loop for edge computing tasks. The inner loop manages PID calculations and direct control outputs, while the outer loop handles advanced functions such as analytics, machine learning, or cloud communications—enhancing insight without compromising control reliability.
Real-time inner control loop for direct system regulation,
guided by a general-purpose outer loop that enables advanced optimisation
Emerson’s Outcome Optimising Controller
Emerson has implemented this architecture in products like the Outcome Optimising Controller, which supports parallel operation of a real-time deterministic control OS and Ubuntu OS on multicore hardware. The later hosting a collection of opensource applications called PACEdge. The Software Platform provides all aspects of edge processing to simplify your IIoT application development, deployment, and administration. This enables advanced onsite computing, edge AI/ML analytics, on device visualisation, data storage and processing while maintaining uninterrupted control.
PACedge
Benefits of Controller-Level Virtualisation
By embedding virtualisation directly into PLCs and PACs, Emerson eliminates the need for external PCs for analytics or interface tasks. This reduces hardware requirements, simplifies configuration, and lowers installation overhead. Processing closer to the source enables faster decision-making. Controller-level virtualisation also avoids the latency and integration complexity often associated with separate IT systems.
Emerson’s controllers equipped with native virtualisation deliver deterministic control and flexible edge computing in a single platform. The inner loop secures mission-critical control functions, while the outer loop provides adaptable computing power for analytics, diagnostics, and connectivity. This architecture offers electrical engineers and systems integrators a robust, future-ready industrial control solution.
Emerson’s PLC