AI at the Edge

Accelerate Industrial Intelligence with Kontron

Talk to us

Industrial AI at the Edge

Unlock faster, safer, and more efficient operations with artificial intelligence-ready embedded systems, secure operating systems, and trusted OT-protection technologies from Kontron.

Why AI at the Edge with Kontron

Built for Real Industry. Ready for Real AI.

AI requires more than compute power – it needs reliability, security, lifecycle longevity, and deployment flexibility. Kontron brings decades of embedded and industrial experience to every AI solution, enabling organizations in manufacturing, energy, transportation, medical technology, and smart infrastructure to run AI workloads directly on IoT devices where data is created.

Key Benefits

Real-time inference without cloud latency
Certified industrial-grade reliability
Secure-by-design with KontronOS and KontronAIShield
Easy integration into existing OT/IT environments
Scalable CPU, GPU, NPU, and ASICs performance levels

AI Expertise at the Heart of Kontron

The AI Technical Competence Center (AITCC) is Kontron’s dedicated team of AI specialists. By bringing together expertise, technology, and innovation, the team supports the development and adoption of AI solutions that drive business value across the Group. The AITCC also supports AI customer projects and leads the development and implementation of Kontron’s AI strategy, helping to accelerate innovation and create value for customers and the organization alike.

How We Solve Your AI Projects

From Vision to Voice – Industrial AI that Works in the Field

Anomaly Detection

KontronAIShield

For a leading medical HMI vendor, we implemented KontronAIShield to protect medical devices directly at the network edge. The appliance combines Layer‑2 switching with AI‑based firewall, IDS and threat prevention in a single, compact system that can be deployed inline without changing the existing network setup.

Each connected device is protected individually through AI‑driven traffic analysis, enabling precise detection of threats while maintaining high network performance. Security events and IDS insights are centrally available via Kontron Grid, providing transparency across the protected device fleet.

Product components

Kontron Voice AI Framework

Secure Transcription and Audio Processing Platform

Kontron Voice AI Framework is used in the courtrooms of a European country. It is a modular AI-based speech processing platform designed for accurate, scalable and secure transcription, voice analysis and audio synthesis. The solution can also convert audio from meetings, customer service calls, legal proceedings, conferences or healthcare consultations into searchable, editable and context-aware text.

The framework supports multilingual speech-to-text processing, domain-specific model adaptation and flexible deployment across on-premise, cloud AI, or Kontron hardware environments. By combining edge-side audio capture with centralized AI services, the system provides a reliable end-to-end workflow from recording and watermarking to transcription, entity recognition, editing, search and export.

Product components

  • Kontron OS

  • KBox A-251-AML/ADN – Edge recording and watermarking appliance

  • Kontron Voice AI Application – Transcription, editing, NER, PII masking and AI chat

Kontron Generative AI Framework

Secure On-Board Knowledge Search and Automation Platform

Kontron Generative AI Framework is a secure, enterprise-ready platform for deploying generative AI use cases in isolated environments. The solution enables organizations to implement knowledge base search, content generation, decision support, chatbots and automation quickly and reliably.

The platform provides a flexible AI orchestration layer that can be connected to one or multiple language models or deep learning models depending on customer requirements. It supports Natural Language Processing modules, Small Language Models and Large Language Models, including both open-source and commercial models.

Customers use it e.g. to find matching assemblies in blueprints. The solution then generates a assembly that matches all use cases optimizing the product portfolio.

Product components

  • Kontron K4021 – Hardware appliance platform with Intel® Core™ Ultra 7 155U for on-board generative AI workloads

  • Kontron Generative AI Framework – Modular platform for generative AI, NLP and knowledge-based applications

  • AL i.MX8M Mini LTE – IoT gateway with Arm® Cortex®-A53 processor and integrated LTE CAT1 modem for mobile and remote AI-application

Smart Mobility & Rail

High‑Performance IT‑on‑Board Platform for AI‑Enabled Public Transport

For a large European public transport operator, we provide a high‑performance IT‑on‑Board platform designed to consolidate vehicle IT, enable AI‑powered applications, and support future digital services. The platform follows a modular, IP‑based architecture aligned with ITxPT principles and modern cybersecurity requirements.

A key requirement is significantly increased compute power to enable AI‑driven use cases such as advanced data processing, monitoring, analytics and future automation scenarios within the internet of things directly on the vehicle. Our solution combines scalable computing with centralized management, secure communication and long‑term lifecycle support for large, heterogeneous fleets.

Core system components

  • Colibri Platform – Modular vehicle computer with high‑performance compute module

  • Ethernet Switch – IP‑based onboard network with logical separation

  • Driver Terminal – Vehicle HMI with GNSS and connectivity

  • I/O Interfaces – Integration of vehicle signals and subsystems

  • Connectivity Module – Secure vehicle‑to‑backend communication

  • Power Management – Controlled and monitored power supply for onboard IT

Kontron Predictive Maintenance

AI Platform for Industrial Equipment Monitoring

With Kontron Pilot Factory, users can create automated workflows, alerts and maintenance-support logic to analyze sensor data, identify abnormal behavior, detect early signs of failure and support proactive maintenance decisions before downtime occurs. This helps reduce unexpected machine failures, improve equipment availability and increase operational efficiency across the production environment.

Kontron Pilot Factory is a future-proof, Plug & Play AI platform that supports the development and deployment of predictive and generative AI solutions. With fully automated MLOps and a flexible, scalable infrastructure, it enables fast implementation, continuous model improvement and reliable industrial AI operation.

Product components

  • KontronOS – Secure operating system running on the edge devices

  • Kontron KISS – Unified central server platform for data aggregation and processing

  • Kontron Pilot Factory – Plug & Play AI platform for time-series analysis, automation, alerts and predictive maintenance

  • CU Control Unit 6x - Data collection and automation control for IoT and edge applications

Why Customers Choose Kontron

  • Trusted global supplier with decades of embedded expertise

  • Long-term availability and lifecycle management

  • Compliance with industrial standards and sector-specific regulations

  • Reliable performance in harsh and mission-critical environments

  • Scalable portfolio from entry-level AI to high-performance edge servers and systems

  • European footprint/Local for Local

AI Performance Options For Every Deployment

Kontron provides a full AI-ready hardware portfolio – from compact boards and microcontrollers to scalable systems designed for embedded machine learning. All platforms support modern AI frameworks like Edge Impulse and TinyML, containerized workloads, and high-efficiency NPUs/GPUs.

Product Highlights

Explore our AI-ready hardware portfolio

FAQ

What is industrial edge AI?

Industrial edge AI brings machine learning and inference capabilities directly to on-premise devices close to the data source, leveraging AI on the edge to enable low latency, reliability, and secure processing.

How does Kontron support edge AI deployments?

Kontron offers AI-ready hardware, optimized operating systems (KontronOS), and OT security solutions (KontronAIShield), enabling reliable and secure industrial AI implementation.

Which industries benefit from Kontron’s AI solutions?

Manufacturing, energy, mobility, railway (FRMCS), medical technology, robotics, and smart infrastructure.

What AI workloads run best on Kontron hardware?

Computer vision, anomaly detection, predictive maintenance, speech detection, and real-time analytics.

How does KontronAIShield protect AI systems?

AIShield safeguards OT networks through threat detection, segmentation, and continuous monitoring.

Is there a central hub within the Kontron Group that focuses specifically on AI solutions?

Yes, there is. It is the AITCC providing AI custom solutions and services, with a focus on complex, custom use cases.

Its offerings include:

  • custom AI and machine learning solutions,

  • AI use case implementation on frameworks,

  • AI integration into Kontron products,

  • as well as on-premise and edge AI solutions.