2024 was the year of "Generative AI Hype," AWS re:Invent 2025 was the moment the cloud officially got physical.

Fresh off the event in Las Vegas, Colin Masson, Director of Research for Industrial AI, ARC Advisory Group sat down with Steve Blackwell, Leader of the Worldwide Manufacturing Center of Excellence at AWS, to compare notes. He had just published ARC’s Top 10 Takeaways for Industrial AI, and Steve came prepared with his own list: the Top 7 Strategic Announcements that he believes will reshape the manufacturing landscape.

Colin's conversation zeroed in on the practical realities of deploying AI—from the "silicon to the edge." They discussed the massive potential of AWS Transform to pay down technical debt, the shift to "Frontier Agents" like Kiro, and the critical need for a new kind of talent through the Physical AI Fellowship.

You can listen to the full conversation Here on Buzzsprout or watch the video episode on the ARC Advisory Group YouTube Channel.

Would you like to be a guest on our growing podcast?

Do you have an intriguing or thought provoking topic you'd like to discuss on our podcast? Please contact Our Producer Tom Cabot at: [email protected]

View all the episodes here: https://thedigitaltransformationpodcast.buzzsprout.com

The energy at AWS re:Invent 2025 in Las Vegas was undeniable. The narrative has shifted decisively from the passive "Industrial Copilots" of last year to active, autonomous Agentic AI. Everywhere you looked, the talk was of autonomous swarms, "Supervisor Agents," and the new Strands Agents SDK empowering developers to build digital workers that can reason and act.

However, as I (Colin Masson of ARC Advisory Group) noted in my recent Top 10 Takeaways for Industrial AI from AWS re:Invent 2025, there is a stark divergence between the "hyperscaler dream" and the "brownfield reality." For manufacturers dealing with 20-year-old assets, proprietary protocols, and disparate silos, building these agents often hits a brick wall—the "Factory Wall." An AI agent is only as intelligent as the context it is fed, and in most factories, that context is trapped in the machine layer.

To explore how the industry is breaking through this barrier, I sat down at re:Invent with Joe Rosing, Worldwide Head of Smart Manufacturing at AWS, and Torey Penrod-Cambra, Co-Founder and Chief Communications Officer at HighByte. We discussed the critical role of Industrial DataOps in untangling the mess of industrial data to fuel the next generation of AI.

Would you like to be a guest on our growing podcast?

Do you have an intriguing or thought provoking topic you'd like to discuss on our podcast? Please contact Our Producer Tom Cabot at: [email protected]

View all the episodes here: https://thedigitaltransformationpodcast.buzzsprout.com

It's impossible to ignore the tidal wave of excitement and hype surrounding Generative AI. However, at ARC Advisory Group, we consistently advise our Industrial Sector clients that success in this new era requires understanding the entire Industrial AI Toolbox, not just the newest, shiniest instrument. This ongoing Industrial AI (R)Evolution is fundamentally reshaping operations and architecture across IT, OT, ET, and Data Science domains. 

To cut through the noise and provide clear guidance, I've been hosting a detailed podcast series on Industrial AI with thought leaders across the ecosystem. In this context, Colin Masson, Director of Research for Industrial AI was thrilled to welcome Dustin Johnson, CTO of Seeq Corporation, back for their third conversation. 

Would you like to be a guest on our growing podcast?

Do you have an intriguing or thought provoking topic you'd like to discuss on our podcast? Please contact Our Producer Tom Cabot at: [email protected]

View all the episodes here: https://thedigitaltransformationpodcast.buzzsprout.com

In our first ARC Advisory Group SPARC podcast, Steve Blackwell of AWS and I explored the vision for Software Defined Manufacturing, where Agentic AI acts as the "brain and central nervous system." Our second conversation brought that vision to the factory floor, examining the "muscles" of the operation with the rise of Physical and Embodied AI.

In this third installment of our ongoing dialogue, we connect the brain and the muscles. A central theme in my new ARC research series on the Voyage to Physical Intelligence is that for any system to perceive, reason, and act in the physical world, it needs a deep, contextual understanding of that world. This brings us to the critical role of the digital twin—not as a static model, but as a live, learning environment that serves as the foundation for the next wave of industrial autonomy.

Would you like to be a guest on our growing podcast?

Do you have an intriguing or thought provoking topic you'd like to discuss on our podcast? Please contact Our Producer Tom Cabot at: [email protected]

View all the episodes here: https://thedigitaltransformationpodcast.buzzsprout.com

In our first ARC Advisory Group SPARC podcast, Steve Blackwell of AWS and I explored the vision for Software Defined Manufacturing, where Agentic AI acts as the "brain and central nervous system." Our second conversation brought that vision to the factory floor, examining the "muscles" of the operation with the rise of Physical and Embodied AI.

In this third installment of our ongoing dialogue, we connect the brain and the muscles. A central theme in my new ARC research series on the Voyage to Physical Intelligence is that for any system to perceive, reason, and act in the physical world, it needs a deep, contextual understanding of that world. This brings us to the critical role of the digital twin—not as a static model, but as a live, learning environment that serves as the foundation for the next wave of industrial autonomy.

Would you like to be a guest on our growing podcast?

Do you have an intriguing or thought provoking topic you'd like to discuss on our podcast? Please contact Our Producer Tom Cabot at: [email protected]

View all the episodes here: https://thedigitaltransformationpodcast.buzzsprout.com

As manufacturers and processors globally navigate through an era marked by rapid technological advancements, trade and geopolitical uncertainties, and evolving consumer demands, the need for flexible, interoperable, and software-centric automation systems has never been more critical. Open software-defined automation is not just an incremental improvement; it's a strategic imperative that enables industries to enhance their competitiveness, operational resilience, efficiency, and sustainability. In this podcast, Craig Resnick, Vice President, from the ARC Advisory Group. and Hany Fouda, Senior Vice President, Process Automation, Industrial Automation Business, at Schneider Electric, will provide their insights on the transformative impact of open software-defined systems, explore the challenges faced by industry leaders, the role of Schneider Electric in driving this transformation, the benefits of adopting open software-defined automation, and real-life applications and future directions that affect industrial automation users globally. 

Would you like to be a guest on our growing podcast?

Do you have an intriguing or thought provoking topic you'd like to discuss on our podcast? Please contact Our Producer Tom Cabot at: [email protected]

View all the episodes here: https://thedigitaltransformationpodcast.buzzsprout.com

In our first ARC Advisory Group SPARC podcast, I had the pleasure of speaking with Steve Blackwell, Head of the Manufacturing Center of Excellence at Amazon Web Services (AWS), about the transformative shift towards Software Defined Manufacturing (SDM) in the Era of Agentic AI.1 We explored how Agentic AI is becoming the "brain and central nervous system" of the future factory, orchestrating complex digital workflows across the enterprise.2

In this second episode, we bring that vision down to the factory floor. We're moving from the digital intent to the physical action—from the brain to the "muscles" of the operation. Steve and I discuss the physical embodiment of SDM through robotics, exploring AWS's evolving strategy and the rise of a new, more capable class of automation: Physical and Embodied AI.

Would you like to be a guest on our growing podcast?

Do you have an intriguing or thought provoking topic you'd like to discuss on our podcast? Please contact Our Producer Tom Cabot at: [email protected]

View all the episodes here: https://thedigitaltransformationpodcast.buzzsprout.com

In the first three episodes of this series, we rediscovered our industry’s foundational challenges, tracked the rise of what ARC calls the Industrial Data Fabric, and highlighted the domain-specific innovators driving much of the momentum. This journey has established the critical need for clean, organized, and AI-ready data as the bedrock for future innovation.

Now, we take the next logical step. In this fourth episode, we explore how all that AI-ready data gets activated. How do we move from data foundations to the new wave of reliable, agentic AI solutions? As I teased in my recent blog, Industrial AI Needs Context Engineers, NOT Prompt Engineers, this transition requires a deliberate and structured approach.

I was thrilled to welcome Vatsal Shah, co-founder and CEO of Litmus Automation, to discuss this critical link. Vatsal's journey from a hands-on industrial automation engineer frustrated by integrating systems from Rockwell, Siemens, and Yokogawa to founding a company at the heart of Industrial DataOps provides a unique and pragmatic perspective on what it takes to succeed.

Would you like to be a guest on our growing podcast?

Do you have an intriguing or thought provoking topic you'd like to discuss on our podcast? Please contact Our Producer Tom Cabot at: [email protected]

View all the episodes here: https://thedigitaltransformationpodcast.buzzsprout.com

Welcome to the third installment of our ongoing conversation on Industrial Systems Engineering in the Era of AI. In this series, I’m joined by my good friend and serial entrepreneur Rick Bullotta to unpack the profound shifts AI is driving in the industrial world.

 Our journey began in Episode 1, where we explored the historical evolution and foundational data challenges that have long constrained industrial operations. In Episode 2, we moved from problems to potential solutions, diving deep into the concept of the Industrial Data Fabric as the critical enabler for this new era. We laid the groundwork, discussing the need for openness, the limitations of traditional data lakes, and the shift in focus from assets to processes.

 Now, with that foundation in place, we pivot from the theoretical to the practical. This episode gets to the heart of where immediate, tangible value is being created. We move beyond the hype surrounding large-scale infrastructure and generic AI platforms to focus on the agile, domain-focused startups that are translating AI’s potential into real-world industrial outcomes. These are the companies on the front lines—the "guerrilla innovators," as I’ve called them—who are demonstrating not just what AI can do, but what it is doing today to solve specific, high-value problems on the factory floor and beyond.

Would you like to be a guest on our growing podcast?

Do you have an intriguing or thought provoking topic you'd like to discuss on our podcast? Please contact Our Producer Tom Cabot at: [email protected]

View all the episodes here: https://thedigitaltransformationpodcast.buzzsprout.com

Craig Resnick and Mark Sen Gupta from the ARC Advisory Group host a discussion on the evolving landscape of functional safety in automation in the age of Digital Transformation. Joined by special guest Noah Greene, Product Marketing Specialist for Functional Safety from Phoenix Contact, the conversation delves into the critical role of safety devices, such as configured controllers, safety relays, and safety PLCs in enhancing operational resilience and productivity. The podcast explores how the convergence of smart technologies and digital transformation is driving the development of smart safety solutions, enabling better data collection and processing to improve safety and efficiency. Noah Greene shares insights on the implementation of safety systems in both machine and process industries, highlighting the importance of adhering to safety standards and leveraging advanced technologies, such as AI and machine learning to predict and mitigate risks.

Would you like to be a guest on our growing podcast?

Do you have an intriguing or thought provoking topic you'd like to discuss on our podcast? Please contact Our Producer Tom Cabot at: [email protected]

View all the episodes here: https://thedigitaltransformationpodcast.buzzsprout.com