Operational technology and industrial control systems that manage energy, manufacturing, transportation and utilities are becoming more connected to enterprise networks and the cloud, which expands their capabilities but also their exposure to cyber threats. Unlike traditional information technology environments focused on data and applications, these systems control real-world processes where cyber incidents can immediately affect safety, availability and operational continuity. Many of these environments were designed for reliability and longevity rather than modern, adaptive, software-driven cyberattacks, creating a gap between current threats and legacy defenses even as automation and analytics advance.
Nvidia is working with Forescout, Akamai, Palo Alto Networks, Xage Security and Siemens to inject accelerated computing and Artificial Intelligence into operational technology cybersecurity, distributing security across infrastructure and enforcing controls at the edge while coordinating intelligence centrally. Forescout and Nvidia are making zero trust practical for operational technology by combining continuous, agentless discovery and classification of assets with real-time risk assessment and policy-based enforcement. With deep visibility into network activity and the use of network segmentation, Forescout contains lateral movement and enforces zero trust controls where they matter most, while Nvidia BlueField data processing units run security services on dedicated hardware so protection remains separate from operational systems.
Siemens and Palo Alto Networks are embedding security into industrial automation through an Artificial Intelligence ready industrial automation data center that unifies computing, data archiving, disaster recovery and cybersecurity architecture in accordance with IEC 62443, with Nvidia BlueField enabling a zero trust, Artificial Intelligence ready platform for demanding industrial conditions. Prisma AIRS AI Runtime Security runs on Nvidia BlueField to inspect traffic and enforce policies at the infrastructure level for higher uptime. Akamai has extended its Guardicore platform to Nvidia BlueField to deliver agentless segmentation and zero trust policy enforcement at full network speed without adding latency, which is suited to legacy and safety-certified devices. Xage Security, which already protects about 60% of U.S. midstream pipeline infrastructure, is integrating its distributed, identity-based zero trust platform with Nvidia BlueField to secure both energy infrastructures and the Artificial Intelligence systems they power, enabling operators to protect assets, manage third-party access and scale Artificial Intelligence driven operations without undermining performance or resilience.
Across these collaborations, a consistent operational technology cybersecurity architecture is emerging in which security services run at the edge on Nvidia BlueField data processing units, close to the systems they protect, and inspection and enforcement are executed on hardware-isolated infrastructure to avoid disrupting time-sensitive operations. Data generated at the edge flows to centralized Artificial Intelligence factories for cross-site analysis to identify patterns, anomalies and emerging threats, while security actions are enforced locally and insights are shared centrally. This coordinated model is designed to detect and contain threats faster, strengthen resilience across distributed environments, maintain consistent performance and protect uptime, setting a new standard where Artificial Intelligence driven protection and operational excellence advance together for critical infrastructure.
