Interkey launches Brain, an AI control system that replaces PLC programming

Interkey has unveiled Brain, a cabinet-based industrial control system that turns plain-language machine descriptions into PLC logic, operator HMIs and commissioning guidance. The Vienna company says the product can cut machine-building timelines from months to hours and is already running in production with an early customer.

Why it matters: - Brain targets one of the slowest steps in machine building: control software engineering. - Interkey says the system can reduce commissioning from months to hours by replacing manual PLC programming with a plain-language workflow. - The product is designed for small-series custom machines, where engineering time can dominate project cost and delivery speed.

What happened: - Interkey introduced Brain, an industrial control system that uses an AI agent inside the control cabinet to generate machine logic from a text description. - The user describes heaters, motors, sensors, setpoints and safety limits in plain language. - Brain then generates PLC logic, builds the operator HMI, configures alarms and guides commissioning. - The launch took place in Vienna on July 28, 2026. - Interkey positioned Brain as a finished hardware product, not just an AI feature inside engineering software.

The details: - Brain writes PLC logic in all five IEC 61131-3 languages. - The system combines controller, I/O, power switching, HMI and local AI compute in one cabinet. - The hardware uses a CompuLab i.MX8-based industrial controller and an NVIDIA Jetson Orin Nano Super with 40 TOPS for local AI. - Brain supports up to 220 I/O points. - The platform includes Modbus, MQTT, OPC UA and Sparkplug B without per-protocol licensing. - Brain includes a five-level permission model, auto-lock, emergency-stop support and a full audit trail. - Every AI action is recorded in an immutable audit trail. - The system runs air-gapped with no cloud dependency. - Machine vision and historian functions also run locally. - Customers can bring their own AI keys from Anthropic, OpenAI, Azure or a fully local model. - The platform includes a Python plugin SDK, an MCP server and more than 100 REST endpoints. - The Brain Vision Pack with cameras, microphones and a vibration sensor costs €990.

Between the lines: - Interkey is betting that AI’s biggest value in industrial automation comes from generating and managing control logic, not just helping engineers inside existing software. - The air-gapped design and bring-your-own-key approach are aimed at industrial buyers that want local control over process data and model choice. - The open integration stack suggests Interkey wants Brain to work as a platform for machine builders, not a closed appliance. - The direct challenge to conventional PLC workflows is also a challenge to the vendor lock-in and integration complexity that often slow automation projects.

What's next: - Brain Core is priced at €2,500 and Brain Pro at €5,000, both as perpetual licenses with optional subscriptions for cloud features. - Both versions are scheduled to ship in the third quarter of 2026. - Free, non-binding reservations are open at Interkey's preorder page. - Brain Gateway, a protocol bridge for existing Siemens, Rockwell and Beckhoff controllers, is planned for 2027 at a target price of €1,500. - Interkey is seeking strategic partners and investors to scale series production and distribution. - The company says Brain is already in production with Wave Trockensysteme GmbH and in development use with DeepSleep One. - Wave Trockensysteme says Brain cut commissioning on its first production unit from 12 weeks to two and that it plans to deploy the system across 100 freeze dryers.

The bottom line: - Interkey is trying to turn industrial controls from a coding project into a conversation, with hardware, software and local AI bundled into one cabinet.