Let's talk about "digital sovereignty" for European industry. It's a big political phrase, but what does it actually mean on the factory floor? There's an open-source IIoT networking project called Hashtag#IndustryFusion under the umbrella of the IndustryFusion Foundation that's trying to be the answer. It has the potential to become a cornerstone for how Europe competes digitally.
What is it?
Think of it as an open-source operating system for the factory. It’s not built by a single tech giant. It's a non-profit foundation, driven by the actual machine manufacturers who are tired of being locked into proprietary ecosystems. The core mission is to create a "universal translator" so that machines from different brands can finally speak the same language.
What's the Vision?
In one word: Freedom. The goal is to give (European) manufacturers, especially the small and medium-sized ones, a way to digitize without handing over the keys to a single, dominant platform provider. It’s about owning your own production data and building your own digital business models, not just renting someone else's.
What's the Current State?
It's more than just an idea. The code is live and development is active, with a clear focus on hardening the core platform. The first machines certified as "IndustryFusion Ready" are already on the market, which is a critical first step.
What are the Challenges?
The biggest one is momentum. Like any network, its value grows with the number of users. It needs to reach a critical mass to truly take off. The technology is powerful but also complex; making it simple enough for smaller companies to adopt without a huge team of experts is the main hurdle.
What's Next?
The roadmap is ambitious. It includes deeper integration with major European data initiatives like Gaia-X, which could provide serious political and financial tailwinds. They are also pushing further into AI-driven optimization and new business models like Equipment-as-a-Service.
This isn't just another IIoT platform. It's a strategic industrial policy playing out in open-source code. One to watch.
Sources:
Official website: https://www.industry-fusion.com/
Industry Fusion Foundation: https://industry-fusion.org/
Github repository: https://github.com/IndustryFusion/IndustryFusion
