Software-heavy Asset Administration Shells: Classification and Use Cases

2026-02-18

AI Summary

This study addresses the lack of systematic architectural analysis in current software-intensive Asset Administration Shells (AAS), which hinders their ability to meet the pressing demands of software modeling in digital manufacturing and AI-driven environments. To bridge this gap, the work proposes the first software integration taxonomy framework specifically tailored for AAS, integrating software quality attributes with representative manufacturing use cases. By employing architectural analysis, quality attribute evaluation, and scenario mapping, the framework provides systematic guidance on how software services should be integrated within AAS. This contribution fills a critical void between academic research and industrial practice, offering actionable architectural choices and interpretive guidelines for the standardized integration of software services in digital twins.

Technology Category

• Cognitive Modeling & Cognitive Systems: Agent Architectures
• Multiagent Systems: Agent/AI Theories and Architectures
• Application Domains: Software Engineering

Application Category

• Systems and Infrastructure for Web, Mobile and WoT: Applied ML and AI for Web-based mobile applications
• Semantics and Knowledge: Data modeling to support human-machine intelligence, including LLMs agents, intelligent system behavior, explanations, and user-friendly interactions
• Search and Retrieval-Augmented AI: Web query analysis, representation and understanding

Abstract

The Asset Administration Shell (AAS) is an emerging technology for the implementation of digital twins in the field of manufacturing. Software is becoming increasingly important, not only in general but specifically in relation to manufacturing, especially with regard to digital manufacturing and a shift towards the usage of artificial intelligence. This increases the need not only to model software, but also to integrate services directly into the AAS. The existing literature contains individual solutions to implement such software-heavy AAS. However, there is no systematic analysis of software architectures that integrate software services directly into the AAS. This paper aims to fill this research gap and differentiate architectures based on software quality criteria as well as typical manufacturing use cases. This work may be considered as an interpretation guideline for software-heavy AAS, both in academia and for practitioners.

Problem

• Asset Administration Shell
• software-heavy systems
• digital twin
• manufacturing
• software architecture

Innovation

• Asset Administration Shell
• software-intensive systems
• digital twin
• software architecture
• manufacturing use cases