From Open Architecture to Commercial Deployment: ASRock Industrial iEP Series Power Scalable DCNs for Open Process Automation
As Open Process Automation (OPA) moves from validation to real-world deployment, Distributed Control Nodes (DCNs) are becoming a key foundation for open, multi-vendor process control architectures. As the industrial computing layer within the OPA architecture, DCNs require platforms that combine predictable performance, flexible connectivity, industrial reliability, and cybersecurity. ASRock Industrial’s iEP-5000G and iEP-7000E Series serve as scalable industrial computing platforms for the DCN layer, providing the performance, ruggedness, and flexibility required for distributed control and edge applications. Through ExxonMobil’s COPA 500 deployments, the iEP-7020E Series supported the Lighthouse Project at the Resins Finishing Plant in Baton Rouge, with more than 100 DCNs and 1,000+ I/O points. The same DCN technology was also deployed at the Anchorage Chemical Terminal (ACT), which entered production on June 24, 2026. Together with the O-PAS™ Standard-certified iEP-5010G-010, these deployments demonstrate ASRock Industrial’s scalable DCN computing platform for next-generation Open Process Automation.
Challenge
Traditional Distributed Control Systems (DCS) have long provided reliable process control, but their proprietary architectures can limit hardware flexibility, interoperability, and multi-vendor integration. Open Process Automation (OPA) addresses these limitations by separating computing, control, I/O, networking, and software functions, enabling technologies from different vendors to work together within an open architecture. As a critical computing layer in this distributed, multi-vendor environment, the Distributed Control Node (DCN) must do more than deliver computing performance—it must reliably integrate diverse control, I/O, networking, and software components while providing predictable performance, industrial reliability, cybersecurity, environmental robustness, and long-term lifecycle support. Selecting the right DCN computing platform is therefore essential to turning OPA from an open architecture concept into a practical, deployable automation solution.
This requirement was put to the test in ExxonMobil’s Lighthouse Project at the Resins Finishing Plant in Baton Rouge, which demonstrated the feasibility of a DCN-based OPA architecture at commercial scale, with more than 100 DCNs and 1,000+ I/O points. Building on this experience, the next challenge was to determine whether the same open architecture and DCN approach could progress from large-scale technology validation to a repeatable commercial deployment model. The greenfield Anchorage Chemical Terminal (ACT) project provided an opportunity to further validate this approach by incorporating OPA requirements directly into the project specification and applying open automation in a new-build commercial environment.
Solution
ASRock Industrial’s iEP-5000G and iEP-7000E Series provide a scalable industrial computing foundation for Distributed Control Nodes (DCNs) within open, multi-vendor architectures such as COPA 500. Designed for Open Process Automation, the iEP Series provides the computing resources required at the DCN level for distributed control, communications, data processing, and edge workloads. In ExxonMobil’s COPA 500 deployments, the iEP-7020E, part of the iEP-7000E Series, served as the industrial computing platform for the DCN layer alongside CSI controllers, Phoenix Contact I/O, and CPLANE Fusion orchestration software. Together, these technologies enabled an open, distributed automation architecture in which computing, control, I/O, networking, and orchestration functions could work across multiple vendors.
Deterministic Computing and Rugged Industrial Design
The iEP-5000G and iEP-7000E Series combine high-performance computing, flexible multi-LAN connectivity, compact fanless designs, and deterministic computing and networking enabled by Intel® Time Coordinated Computing (TCC) and Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN). Wide operating temperature ranges support reliable deployment in control cabinets and distributed field locations, while selected platforms such as the iEP-5010G-DCN offer ATEX, IECEx, and Class I Division 2 (C1D2) certifications for harsh and hazardous environments. These capabilities enable the iEP Series to serve as a reliable industrial computing platform at the DCN layer, delivering predictable performance, flexible connectivity, and robust operation required to support distributed control and edge workloads in demanding OPA environments.
O-PAS and Industrial Cybersecurity
The iEP-5010G-010 is the world’s first O-PAS™ Standard-certified industrial computer, marking a significant milestone in ASRock Industrial’s commitment to open automation. The iEP Series also supports Redfish® Agent Protocols, further supporting standards-based system management for open automation environments. ASRock Industrial has also achieved IEC 62443-4-1 certification for its secure product development lifecycle. The iEP-5010G has achieved IEC 62443-4-2 Security Level 2 (SL2), while the iEP-5010G-DCN has achieved IEC 62443-4-2 Security Level 3 (SL3), further strengthening the cybersecurity foundation for critical industrial and process automation applications. At the DCN layer, these standards and certifications help address the need for secure, interoperable, and standards-based computing within increasingly connected and distributed automation architectures, providing a scalable and secure foundation for multi-vendor OPA deployments.
Real-World Validation: From Lighthouse to Commercial Deployment
The capabilities of the iEP platform have been demonstrated through ExxonMobil’s COPA 500 deployments in the Lighthouse and Anchorage Chemical Terminal (ACT) projects, illustrating the evolution of Open Process Automation from large-scale technology validation to commercial deployment. At the Resins Finishing Plant in Baton Rouge, the Lighthouse Project deployed more than 100 DCNs and over 1,000 I/O points, with the iEP-7020E Series providing the industrial computing foundation at the DCN level. This deployment demonstrated how the iEP platform could support a large-scale DCN architecture while integrating with control, I/O, and orchestration technologies from multiple vendors.
The subsequent greenfield ACT project incorporated Open Process Automation requirements directly into the commercial project specification and successfully went live on the COPA 500 platform on June 24, 2026. This progression from Lighthouse to ACT demonstrates how the DCN approach could move beyond large-scale technology validation toward a commercial, new-build deployment model. Together, these deployments demonstrate how ASRock Industrial’s iEP platform can provide a scalable DCN foundation across both large-scale modernization and new-build Open Process Automation applications.
*Source: COPA — From Lighthouse to Standard Practice: Two Projects Validate O-PAS
Benefits
A Practical Path to Scalable OPA Deployment
ExxonMobil’s Lighthouse and Anchorage Chemical Terminal (ACT) projects demonstrate the progression of OPA from large-scale technology validation to commercial deployment. With the iEP-7020E supporting the DCN layer in both deployments, the iEP platform provides a consistent industrial computing foundation to help scale OPA across modernization and new-build applications.
Greater Flexibility with an Open and Scalable Architecture
The iEP platform provides a flexible DCN foundation for multi-vendor OPA architectures, enabling computing, control, I/O, networking, and orchestration technologies from different vendors to work together. Scalable computing performance, multi-LAN connectivity, I/O, and expansion capabilities support evolving control and application requirements, while the O-PAS™ Standard-certified iEP-5010G-010 reinforces ASRock Industrial’s commitment to open and interoperable automation.
Reliable and Secure Operation in Demanding Industrial Environments
The iEP Series combines deterministic computing and networking, rugged fanless designs, flexible connectivity, and industrial-grade reliability for demanding DCN applications. The iEP-5010G-DCN supports ATEX, IECEx, and C1D2 certifications for harsh and hazardous environments, while IEC 62443 certifications further strengthen cybersecurity. Together, these capabilities provide a robust and secure computing foundation for DCNs as OPA moves toward broader commercial deployment.
