Matter is not just creating a new smart home standard. Its potential applications extend beyond the private sphere, as demonstrated by a recent decision by the OPC Foundation (link): the international industry consortium has added the standard to its list of supported IoT ecosystems. The latest version of OPC Unified Architecture (UA) includes Matter alongside Modbus TCP, Rockwell CIP, OCPP, LoRaWAN, and others.
What Is the OPC Foundation?
The global organization has existed since 1994. More than 1,000 companies and organizations from industry, automation, IT, IoT, mechanical engineering, and related fields collaborate within it. The membership list ranges from large corporations such as ABB, Huawei, Microsoft, and Siemens to mid-sized companies, system integrators, and research institutions. Even the German Mechanical Engineering Industry Association (VDMA) holds a seat on the Board of Directors. A complete list is available on the Foundation’s website (link).
The consortium defines and manages standards that enable the secure exchange of information between automation and IT systems, such as process data, alarms, events, or historical data. It is therefore regarded as the central standardization body for open industrial applications in which devices and systems from different manufacturers are intended to work together.
What Is OPC Unified Architecture?
OPC UA is the vendor- and operating system–independent communication and data model developed by the OPC Foundation. Since its initial release in 2008, it has evolved continuously. Today, OPC UA can also be used in combination with 5G networks, for example to facilitate communication between stationary and mobile industrial robots in a warehouse environment.
TCP/IP and web protocols make its use platform-independent, regardless of whether a server runs Windows, Linux, UNIX, or macOS. The unified data model and communication protocol provide the required interoperability, as they are understood by all systems that implement OPC UA.
As a reference implementation, the UA Edge Translator is available on GitHub (link). This software component integrates devices that are not UA-capable. This typically takes place at the “edge,” meaning close to the machine, system, or sensor. The UA Edge Translator translates protocols such as Matter into the language of the OPC ecosystem, ensuring that their data is correctly described, securely available, and universally usable.
Who Is Using OPC UA?
In practice, many manufacturers already use the technology. Miele, for example, relies on OPC UA in the production of its home appliances. Cosmetics manufacturer L’Oréal uses the data model to network machines in production and packaging via a standardized interface.
The cross-vendor UMATI interface for machine tools (Universal Machine Technology Interface) is based on OPC UA, and BMW uses it to improve data and system interoperability across its controllers and production facilities. At Airbus, OPC UA is used in the TEXUS research project: the Defense and Space division equips research rockets with the technology to transmit data from sensors and experiments between onboard and ground systems. So it cannot be ruled out that a Matter product will even make it into space at some point.
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