Ask the Expert: Why Industrial AI Projects Stall at Scale

Industrial AI is moving from pilots to full-scale operations—but scaling across an entire plant presents new challenges. Andrew Chen of Advantech explains why communications architecture, not AI itself, can determine whether deployments scale successfully.
Sept. 9, 2026

Download now to learn how to identify early warning signs that an industrial AI deployment may be struggling to scale and how to uncover the underlying communications challenges. The article explores how Ethernet, Wi-Fi 7, and 5G can work together to support the connectivity needs of fixed, mobile, and remote AI applications across processing facilities. Readers will also discover how to design communications architectures that prevent network limitations from becoming a barrier to AI expansion. In addition, the article explains how flexible software approaches, including containerization and Node-RED, can help engineers deploy, update, and scale AI applications without major system redesigns. Ultimately, readers will gain practical insights for building communications and software architectures that support reliable, scalable industrial AI while maintaining efficient and responsive operations.