ctrlX AUTOMATION is „AI-ready by Design“
Artificial intelligence becomes an integral part of ctrlX AUTOMATION's automation architecture. Bosch Rexroth is thus establishing the technological foundation for the use of AI throughout the entire automation life cycle – from AI assistants to Agentic AI.
AI can now answer questions, explain documentation, generate code, and provide technical suggestions. However, support has often ended where the actual action in automation begins. With Agentic AI, this is changing: AI agents can autonomously translate a given goal into tasks and execute the necessary steps.
Bosch Rexroth embeds this approach at the platform level with ctrlX AUTOMATION. AI can access engineering tools, apps, documentation, as well as data and functions, utilizing them within the respective context. This results in an architecture where AI does not merely act as an assistant alongside automation but integrates seamlessly with it.
"Our ambition is not only to develop the next co-pilot for PLC programming, but AI should be able to understand automation and actively collaborate with it. We have thus taken a decisive step: the transition from assistive to agentic AI."
Steffen Winkler, Senior Vice President Sales, Business Automation & Electrification Solutions at Bosch Rexroth
Two AI solutions – different strengths
Agent iXi – the AI agent from ctrlX AUTOMATION
What Agent iXi does in automation
Agent iXi can take on various tasks in automation – from assisted component and topology selection to documentation:
• Assisted component and topology selection
• Motion and Drive setup
• I/O and HMI design
• Programming
• System monitoring
• Documentation
With the MCP interfaces to ctrlX PLC Engineering and ctrlX I/O Engineering, Agent iXi can also generate IEC 61131-3 code directly in the engineering context and configure I/Os automatically.
Here's how Agent iXi gets access to automation
MCP – the connection to software and systems
The Model Context Protocol (MCP) connects large language models or AI agents, such as Agent iXi, with software and systems. For example, MCP allows the agent to access engineering tools, the operating system ctrlX OS, and the apps running on it.
ctrlX Data Layer – Access to data and functions
The ctrlX Data Layer creates continuous and secure access to data and functions within the platform. This not only provides the agent with information, but also allows it to work with the automation environment.
Skills – Automation knowledge for the task at hand
Skills give Agent iXi, as well as other AI models, the specific knowledge and rules they need for a specific task. According to the principle of "one agent – many skills," the central agent accesses exactly the skills it needs, depending on the task.
Security – Access according to clear permissions
Communication via MCP is encrypted and authenticated. Agent iXi takes into account the permissions of the logged-in user. In this way, it is possible to control which data and functions the agent or the connected AI model can access.
One Agent – many skills
With new tasks, Agent iXi's abilities can also grow. The architecture is designed so that each app can bring its own skills.
New or extended functions of an app can thus also expand the agent's capabilities. Third-party apps can also make their specific know-how usable for AI in this way. This means that the spectrum of available and validated AI capabilities is growing with the open ecosystem of ctrlX AUTOMATION.
Try Agent iXi
Agent iXi is already being beta tested by ctrlX AUTOMATION customers. In the coming months, the test is to be extended to other customers. General availability is planned for early 2027.
Want to test Agent iXi? Apply with your use case.
Maximum freedom:
Open to agents, models, and inference
"AI-ready by design" also means freedom of choice. ctrlX AUTOMATION does not lock companies into a specific AI agent, AI model, or location for inference.
Agents
In addition to Agent iXi, third-party agents can be connected. The open architecture thus creates the prerequisite for deploying different AI agents in the context of ctrlX AUTOMATION.
AI models
ctrlX AUTOMATION is not bound to a specific large language model. Companies can connect different models according to their requirements and the existing AI infrastructure.
Inference
In addition to cloud-based models, the local execution of powerful AI models is planned in the future. Together with AMD, Bosch Rexroth is working on a corresponding hardware basis on which AI can be operated locally with ctrlX OS.
Skills
Thanks to their standardized structure in the MCP server, the skills are deliberately designed in such a way that they can be processed flexibly and across platforms by any AI agent. Users benefit from seamless integration, as the skills provided on GitHub can be imported and used directly into Visual Studio Code.
Maximum freedom:
Open to agents, models, and inference
"AI-ready by design" also means freedom of choice. ctrlX AUTOMATION does not lock companies into a specific AI agent, AI model, or location for inference.
Agents
In addition to Agent iXi, third-party agents can be connected. The open architecture thus creates the prerequisite for deploying different AI agents in the context of ctrlX AUTOMATION.
AI models
ctrlX AUTOMATION is not bound to a specific large language model. Companies can connect different models according to their requirements and the existing AI infrastructure.
Inference
In addition to cloud-based models, the local execution of powerful AI models is planned in the future. Together with AMD, Bosch Rexroth is working on a corresponding hardware basis on which AI can be operated locally with ctrlX OS.
Skills
Thanks to their standardized structure in the MCP server, the skills are deliberately designed in such a way that they can be processed flexibly and across platforms by any AI agent. Users benefit from seamless integration, as the skills provided on GitHub can be imported and used directly into Visual Studio Code.
"Agentic AI must not end in a new technological lock-in for us. Users should be able to decide whether and how they use AI, which agent and which AI model they use, and where the inference takes place. We combine this freedom of choice with the automation context of ctrlX AUTOMATION. Thanks to the modular app concept, functions can be flexibly expanded at any time. And if you want to do without artificial intelligence, you simply decide against installing the feature."
Steffen Winkler, Senior Vice President Sales, Business Automation & Electrification Solutions at Bosch Rexroth
From Agentic Engineering to Agentic Automation
Engineering is the starting point, but not the limit. ctrlX AUTOMATION is designed to make AI usable across different tasks and phases of the automation life cycle.
Apps, data and automation functions are connected to each other in an AI-ready architecture. On this basis, Agentic AI can also take on tasks in commissioning, operation, monitoring, maintenance and documentation in ctrlX AUTOMATION and use specialized skills for this purpose.
Agentic engineering thus gradually becomes Agentic Automation: AI works with automation – across different tasks and phases of the life cycle.
If you have any questions or require further information regarding ctrlX AUTOMATION, please contact us.
We look forward to your inquiry!
From Agentic Engineering to Agentic Automation
Engineering is the starting point, but not the limit. ctrlX AUTOMATION is designed to make AI usable across different tasks and phases of the automation life cycle.
- Engineering
- Commisioning
- Operation
- Monitoring
- Maintenance
- Documentation
Apps, data and automation functions are connected to each other in an AI-ready architecture. On this basis, Agentic AI can also take on tasks in commissioning, operation, monitoring, maintenance and documentation in ctrlX AUTOMATION and use specialized skills for this purpose.
Agentic engineering thus gradually becomes Agentic Automation: AI works with automation – across different tasks and phases of the life cycle.
If you have any questions or require further information regarding ctrlX AUTOMATION, please contact us.
We look forward to your inquiry!