According to CESMII, the API lays the foundation for scalable digital transformation and AI adoption.
LOS ANGELES—Manufacturers today face a common challenge in the fragmentation of OT and IT systems. By trapping data in silos, this fragmentation constrains productivity, innovation, and visibility across operations. These limitations are known to slow the adoption of AI and hinder improvements in efficiency, quality, supply chain resilience, and labor productivity initiatives.
CESMII – The Smart Manufacturing Institute is addressing this challenge with the beta launch of the Industrial Information Interoperability eXchange (i3X™), an open, standards-based API designed to enable seamless interoperability across manufacturing systems, platforms, and applications.
According to a release by CESMII, i3X introduces a new architectural model for manufacturing systems—one built on open, interoperable data and application portability. Developed in collaboration with a growing ecosystem of industry leaders, i3X establishes a common interface for accessing manufacturing data, models, and relationships. In doing so, it is reported to lay the foundation for scalable digital transformation and AI adoption.
The Industrial Information Interoperability Exchange (i3X™), now in Beta, is described by CESMII as “an open, common API initiative proposed to address a growing interoperability challenge in modern manufacturing architectures: manufacturing data silo proliferation and API chaos.” (Image courtesy CESMII/EIN Presswire)
By standardizing how applications discover, access, and interact with manufacturing data, i3X is said to enable “interoperability by design, allowing applications to operate seamlessly across any compliant system.”
“Interoperability is no longer optional. It is the foundation for scalable AI and the future of manufacturing,” said John Dyck, CEO of CESMII, in the release. “i3X establishes a common interface for manufacturing systems, enabling applications to scale across systems and dramatically accelerating innovation, AI adoption, and economic impact across manufacturing operations and supply chains.”
According to CESMII, manufacturers are excited to see significant i3X adoption by this community.
“We see interoperability as a long term strategic imperative across our complex technology landscape at Georgia Pacific,” said Anthony Huffman, vice president of IT – Digital Manufacturing at Georgia-Pacific, in the release. “We’re excited about how i3X can accelerate innovation and solutioning of our digital/AI transformation strategy at scale.”
The i3X initiative is said to be supported by a diverse and growing coalition of technology providers, system integrators, and industrial innovators, including leading cloud platforms, industrial automation providers, system integrators, and a growing wave of innovative industrial software startups. “This ecosystem represents a significant cross-section of the industrial technology landscape, signaling broad alignment around open, interoperable architectures,” the release stated.
The API is designed to meet the growing demand for scalable AI and advanced analytics by providing consistent, contextualized access to operational data. Without interoperable data foundations, AI in manufacturing remains fragmented, pilot-bound, and difficult to scale.
“The promise of AI in manufacturing depends on the quality and consistency of underlying data,” said Jonathan Wise, chief technology architect at CESMII, in the release. “i3X provides the connective tissue that allows data to move seamlessly across systems, enabling organizations to scale from isolated pilots to enterprise-wide deployment of AI-driven solutions.”
With a 1.0 specification expected in June, early adopters are already validating the value of interoperability in accelerating performance and innovation.
“Manufacturing is at an inflection point. Closed systems can’t keep up with the pace of innovation required for AI-driven operations,” said Matthew Parris, Director, Manufacturing Test Systems for Industry 4.0 at GE Appliances, in the release. “We see interoperability as essential to unlocking the next generation of smart factories. That’s why efforts like i3X matter: They create a shared foundation where data, applications, and partners can work together seamlessly to accelerate innovation across the entire ecosystem.”
A foundation for innovation in manufacturing
Building on years of CESMII-led R&D and industry collaboration, i3X is aligned to its three Smart Manufacturing Imperatives, including standardized information models (SM Profiles/OPC UA Information Models) and modern data architecture strategies. “Together, these capabilities form the foundation for interoperable, scalable manufacturing systems,” the release stated.
By lowering barriers to integration and enabling application portability, i3X is expected to accelerate the adoption of Smart Manufacturing; reduce integration cost and architectural complexity; accelerate deployment of analytics and AI; and strengthen manufacturing competitiveness.
CESMII – the Smart Manufacturing Institute has a total current investment commitment of $201 million from Department of Energy funding and public/private partnership contributions. Its mandate is to “create a more competitive manufacturing environment in the U.S. through advanced sensing, analytics, modeling, control, and platforms.”
“CESMII is one of 17 Manufacturing USA institutes on this mission to increase manufacturing productivity, global competitiveness, and reinvestment by increasing energy productivity, improving economic performance, and raising workforce capacity,” the release said.