Rust: The Silent Revolution Transforming Industrial Automation

Summary

The world of industrial automation is unique with its own complexity and critical systems that keep supply chains flowing. Safety, precision and speed are considered the basic commodities in industrial automation. In this distinctive environment, a modern programming language is quietly making its own mark. Rust, the programming language known for its speed, safety and performance, is slowly gaining ground in the industrial sector and is on track to redefine how automation systems are built and maintained.

What is Rust and why Rust?

Rust is a programming language that is designed with a unique ability to combine high performance with exceptional safety. Introduced in 2010 by Mozilla, Rust was designed to address the challenges faced in low-level programming, such as memory management and concurrency, without compromising on speed, unlike traditional programming languages like C and C++. [1]
 
Over the past decade, with new advanced technologies, industrial automation has seen significant progress. It is no longer just about making things work in manufacturing through automation, it is about doing it faster, smarter and safer. While traditional programming languages like C and C++ have been reliable so far, they have their own set of challenges, such as memory leaks, data races and security vulnerabilities. Rust is designed to address these issues at the root with its unique design.
 
Rust will soon become the primary language for the development of new industrial and automation applications. According to a research study "Memory-safety challenge considered solved? An in-depth study with all Rust CVEs", 60–70% of security vulnerabilities in embedded systems and electronic devices are caused by memory issues. Rust directly addresses these problems, offering a significant improvement in secure software development. [2]

Safety without sacrificing speed

Rust’s most standout feature is its strong focus on memory safety without a garbage collector. For industrial systems, where a single crash can halt an entire production line, this is a game-changer. Rust’s compile-time checks prevent common bugs before the code even runs, ensuring that the software is not just fast, but also reliable. This level of safety, paired with the high performance compared to C++, makes Rust ideal for automation systems that can’t afford to fail.

Concurrency that just works

In industrial automation, multiple processes often need to run simultaneously. For example, a PLC controller handles data from multiple sensors monitoring conditions at any given second and reacts accordingly by making robots perform an action within milliseconds. Rust’s approach to concurrency, where data races are simply not allowed, means that these processes can run smoothly side by side without the fear of unpredictable behavior that is observed with other languages. This makes Rust the perfect choice for complex, real-time automation environments where every millisecond counts.

Security as a first-class concern

Security is one of the biggest concerns in today’s world, and it's critical in industrial automation. With the IoT and smart factories, devices are more interconnected than ever and unfortunately that also makes them more exposed to potential cyber-attacks. Rust’s memory safety features help beyond preventing crashes by mitigating common security vulnerabilities like buffer overflows, which have been the root cause of many cyberattacks. By enforcing strict memory safety, Rust reduces the risk of security vulnerabilities introduced by human error. Rust also eliminates many low-level bugs, which reduces the attack surface in automation systems, making it much harder for attackers to exploit weak points.

Scalability for distributed systems

We are seeing increasing applications on distributed systems. Applications are spread across the industrial floor talking and working together in a hive structured mind. The ability to scale these distributed systems effectively is more important than ever. Rust fits perfectly into this picture, offering the kind of performance needed. Rust asynchronous programming with async/await syntax makes it easier to handle a lot of tasks at once without slowing down or crashing.

Real-world applications of Rust in industrial automation

Even though Rust is not yet the default programming language for industrial automation, it is slowly gaining a lot of attention. Several companies are already leveraging Rust to solve critical and complex problems in industrial automation.

Embedded systems: The backbone of automation
One of the areas where Rust is proving to be effective is in embedded systems. These are the tiny computers embedded inside devices like sensors, controllers and robotic arms which often operate on very low resources.

For decades, these systems were written in C or C++ because of their speed and low-level access to hardware but Rust is gaining traction in this race. With Rust, it’s no longer about choosing between speed and reliability, devices can have both.

Internet of Things (IoT): Connecting smart factories
Another area where Rust can be effective is in IoT networks, which have increased rapidly with smart factories. Smart factories use connected devices to perform every action in an industrial environment. Large factories can have hundreds or even thousands of connected devices all communicating and sharing data.
 
To perform operations at this level, industries need systems that are scalable and secure. Rust’s ability to handle multiple tasks simultaneously, thanks to its advanced concurrency model, makes it a natural fit for these environments.
 
Rockwell Automation, a global leader in industrial automation and digital transformation, has been exploring Rust for various IoT related projects. By adopting Rust, Rockwell not only realized significantly improved performance but also mitigated many security risks, such as memory safety vulnerabilities and buffer overflows. This is reducing the risk of being exploited by cyber-attacks targeting IoT devices.

Robotics: Precision and safety
Robotics is another area of industrial automation where Rust is starting to make its mark. In an industrial environment robots handle most of the potentially dangerous tasks. Ensuring that their actions are reliable and predictable is essential.
 
Traditionally, robotics software has relied heavily on C++ for its performance benefits, but C++ has downsides with concurrent processes. Using Rust in robotics can ensure the safety and precision needed for robotic systems in an industrial environment. It can reduce the risk of bugs that could lead to costly, or even dangerous malfunctions.
 
Robonomics, an open-source decentralized platform for IoT applications and complex robotics has developed Rust-based middleware for ROS 2 (Robot Operating System 2), enhancing the security and efficiency of robotic operations. [4] [5]

The future is Rust: Get on board or get left behind

As the technologies evolve, the industries continue to evolve. The pressure to adopt cutting-edge technologies that make innovation and security is higher than ever. Rust is a rare technology that can make a difference by offering industries the tools they need to keep up with current trends and lead the charge. Companies that have adopted Rust have already improved their systems and set themselves up for long-term success in a rapidly changing world. These companies that get ahead of the curve will have a competitive advantage in years to come.

Conclusion

After decades, one programming language is making noise in industrial automation. However, Rust isn’t just another programming language. It is a game changer in how we approach building reliable, efficient, and secure industrial systems. In the complex world of industrial automation, Rust provides the ideal balance of performance, safety, and modern capabilities. For any business that’s serious about staying at the forefront of industrial automation, Rust isn’t just an option to consider—it’s the way forward.

_{1. https://blog.mozilla.org/en/mozilla/mozilla-welcomes-the-rust-foundation/
2. Hui Xu, Zhuangbin Chen, Mingshen Sun, Yangfan Zhou, and Michael R. Lyu. 2021. Memory-Safety Challenge Considered Solved? An In-Depth Study with All Rust CVEs. ACM Trans. Softw. Eng. Methodol. 31, 1, Article 3 (January 2022), 25 pages.
3. https://robonomics.network/blog/ros-2-rust-report-2022/
4. https://github.com/ros2-rust/ros2_rust
5. Bugden, William, and Ayman Alahmar. "Rust: The programming language for safety and performance." arXiv preprint arXiv:2206.05503 (2022).
6. Culic I, Vochescu A, Radovici A. A Low-Latency Optimization of a Rust-Based Secure Operating System for Embedded Devices. Sensors. 2022; 22(22):8700.
7. Vandervelden, T.; De Smet, R.; Deac, D.; Steenhaut, K.; Braeken, A. Overview of Embedded Rust Operating Systems and Frameworks. Sensors 2024, 24, 5818.}