In this episode of the Energy Tech Podcast, recorded live at Inductive Automation's Data Center Discovery Day 2026 in Tysons, Virginia, Jeff Perry and Mike Flores sit down with Benson Hougland, Vice President of Product Strategy and Marketing at Opto 22.

The discussion explores how data centers are evolving into AI factories, the growing importance of edge computing, MQTT, Unified Namespace (UNS), cybersecurity, and why contextualized data is critical for AI-driven operations.

Benson shares insights from Opto 22's decades of experience in industrial automation, telecommunications, and edge computing, explaining how organizations can build scalable, secure, and AI-ready architectures.

Topics include:

✅ Data Centers as AI Factories

✅ MQTT and Sparkplug B Architectures

✅ Unified Namespace (UNS) Strategies

✅ Edge Computing and Data Contextualization

✅ Cybersecurity and Zero-Trust Architectures

✅ Decoupled Publish-Subscribe Systems

✅ AI Readiness in Industrial Operations

✅ Ignition Edge and Industrial Ecosystems

✅ Operational Technology (OT) and Enterprise Integration

✅ Scaling Industrial Infrastructure for AI

If you're involved in industrial automation, SCADA, data centers, AI infrastructure, manufacturing, or digital transformation, this episode provides practical insights into building the next generation of operational technology architectures.

🎙️ Presented by OpSite Energy

🌐 Insight Driven Remote Optimization

#DataCenters #AI #MQTT #UnifiedNamespace #UNS #EdgeComputing #IndustrialAutomation #SCADA #Ignition #Opto22 #IIoT #DigitalTransformation #energytechpodcast

00:00 Introduction & Data Center Discovery Day 2026

00:59 How Data Centers Have Changed in One Year

02:06 Data Centers as AI Factories

03:17 Opto 22's History in Telecom & Infrastructure

05:57 MQTT Growth in Data Centers

06:33 Unified Namespace & Edge Computing

07:18 Data Democratization & Contextualized Data

09:10 Energy, Tokens & Business Visibility

10:17 Why the Edge Matters

12:22 Common Edge Architecture Mistakes

13:21 Decoupling Systems with MQTT

15:52 Cybersecurity Benefits of Publish-Subscribe Architectures

18:28 AI in Operations: Hype vs Reality

20:40 Opto 22's Role in AI-Ready Infrastructure

21:35 Connecting Technology to Business Outcomes

22:36 The Power of Industrial Ecosystems

24:16 What's Next for Opto 22?

25:01 Closing Remarks

Music: Uygar Duzgun / “Fast Life” courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com