Industrial automation is increasingly adopting converged 5G and Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) to support deterministic, low-latency communications for mission-critical applications. However, designing, configuring and validating these hybrid networks remains a highly manual, fragmented and error-prone process. Engineers must independently configure TSN Centralised Network and User Configuration (CNC/CUC) functions alongside 5G Application Functions, resulting in lengthy deployment cycles, increased costs and significant integration complexity.
AutoTwin-TSN addresses this challenge through an AI-assisted digital twin orchestration platform that automates the design, configuration and validation of converged 5G–TSN networks. The platform interprets factory floorplans, network topologies, traffic profiles and device configurations to generate a digital twin of the operational environment, perform deterministic performance analysis and automatically produce optimised configuration files for both TSN controllers and 5G network slices. Integrated visual design tools enable engineers to rapidly model, refine and optimise complex industrial communication systems within a single workflow.
A combined simulation and hardware-in-the-loop validation environment, incorporating a private 5G standalone testbed and TSN networking infrastructure, enables rigorous verification of latency, reliability and application-level performance before deployment. By automating configuration and providing cross-domain orchestration, AutoTwin-TSN substantially reduces engineering effort, shortens deployment times and improves confidence in deterministic network performance.
The project will advance the technology from TRL 4 to TRL 6, establishing a validated prototype ready for industrial evaluation. Commercialisation will be led through UCC Innovation in partnership with the ARC Hub for ICT, with intellectual property protection assessed through patentability and freedom-to-operate analyses. AutoTwin-TSN is positioned to become a foundational software platform for manufacturers, system integrators and industrial network providers deploying next-generation 5G-enabled smart factories and other mission-critical communication systems.
