Control Systems Snapshot

Global industrial control systems (ICS) and operational technology (OT) exposure jumped 12% in 2024 to surpass 180 000 monthly unique IPs, and is trending toward ~200 000 in 2025. This implies that modern control systems roadmaps will be security-first, especially where remote access, legacy protocols, and IT/OT convergence expand the attack surface.

The International Federation of Robotics (IFR) reports the global operational stock of industrial robots reached 4 281 585 units in 2023 (+10% YoY). This underscores that closed-loop control is scaling in real assets to create sustained pull for PLC/DCS/SCADA modernization, edge connectivity, and automated quality & throughput optimization.

Further, India’s factory sector covered 260 061 factories in 2023-24, with total persons engaged at 19 589 131. This is a demand-side indicator for control systems vendors because the installed base of regulated factories is large, growing, and increasingly pressured to improve uptime, energy performance, and compliance.

The Operating Environment: Industrial Automation Market at USD 164B

The industrial automation and control systems market exceeded USD 165 billion in 2023 (global) and projects around 9.5% CAGR from 2024 to 2032.

ABB characterizes distributed control systems (DCS) as a ~USD 15 billion global market and positions the segment as central to automation in energy and process industries. This distinguishes process-grade control (DCS + safety) from discrete automation (PLC + motion).

Further, Rockwell Automation’s 2025 smart manufacturing survey reports that 56% of manufacturers are piloting smart manufacturing initiatives. Also, 20% have deployments at scale, and 95% have invested in or plan to invest in AI.

This suggests the integration of AI/analytics layers in control systems rather than upgraded as standalone OT projects.

Our database tracks 109.1K companies operating in the control systems space, including 6160+ startups. These reflect a broad mix of established automation providers, industrial technology firms, and specialized software-driven players.

 

 

North America led the remote monitoring and control system market with a 34% revenue share in 2024, supported by strong infrastructure and widespread adoption across industrial sectors.

This remote monitoring and control system market is expected to increase from USD 3.84 billion in 2025 to USD 7.69 billion by 2034, at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.04%.

 

 

Startup Signals: Mapping 6,160+ Control Systems Startups

Maritronix – Marine Control Systems

Lithuanian startup Maritronix develops integrated ship automation systems that enable safe, flexible, and precise vessel control through wireless and fly-by-wire technologies.

Its Pilot-H wireless helm system extends full propulsion and steering control beyond the wheelhouse. It leverages redundant microcontrollers, industrial-grade electronics, and error-checked wireless communication to allow mariners to operate vessels from optimal positions with improved visibility and situational awareness.

In parallel, the Helmsman fly-by-wire rudder control and autopilot system uses a single haptic rotation knob. It manages heading and rudder position across navigation, automatic, and manual modes, while providing tactile feedback that reflects driving conditions and control states.

Grassroots Resource Optimization – Central Irrigation Control

Canadian startup Grassroots Resource Optimization offers a central control irrigation platform that optimizes water use and operational performance across large-scale landscapes.

It integrates and manages cloud-based irrigation control platforms, while continuously monitoring controllers, sensors, and water flow data to drive precise, site-specific irrigation scheduling.

The startup applies system evaluation, real-time monitoring, remote operation, and data extraction to adjust watering based on weather conditions, soil moisture, and operational requirements. Also, it presents performance insights through clear analytics, viewing water usage, cost savings, and return on investment.

ARTIC Technologies – Microfluidic Flow Control

Dutch startup ARTIC Technologies develops a control system that manages microscale fluid dynamics in cell culture. It seeds 3D cell models into the magnetic artificial cilia (MAC) plate wells by placing the plate on the MACnet.

Then, it actuates magnetic artificial cilia embedded in channels around each well using a changing magnetic field to generate a gentle, continuous flow.

The nature-inspired cilia-based flow mechanism enables precise fluid movement without pumps or tubing while preserving the throughput and ease of use of conventional plates. The system supports applications such as organoid and spheroid culture, circulating cell studies, and high-throughput screening with flow.

OCEANFLIGHT – Hydrofoil Technology Platform

German startup OCEANFLIGHT makes a hydrofoil technology platform that combines the Oceanflight Basic plug-and-play flight control system with the Oceanflight Cortex autonomy and control architecture.

The startup integrates sensing, computing, communication, and actuation components into a unified control stack that stabilizes hydrofoil boats in real time. For this, it utilizes a real-time kinematic global positioning system (RTK-GPS), inertial sensors, radar, and tightly coupled sensor-fusion algorithms to continuously assess vessel position, attitude, flying height, and wave conditions.

Oceanflight Basic provides boatbuilders with a ready-to-use hardware and software kit that enables rapid hydrofoil prototyping without custom coding. On the other hand, Oceanflight Cortex serves as the central nervous system that manages flight control, redundancy, data handling, and smart features through a real-time control unit and a Linux-based compute layer.

The platform delivers active stabilization, precise foil actuation, force-feedback helm integration, and scalable autonomy across different vessel sizes and propulsion systems.

SmartFlow – Stormwater Management Platform

Israeli startup SmartFlow offers a data-driven flood control platform that transforms rainfall into actionable intelligence for managing aerial floods. It collects real-time rain and drainage data and applies analytics and machine learning algorithms.

Further, it integrates with existing drainage infrastructure to monitor conditions and trigger responsive control actions. With this, the platform enables municipalities and infrastructure operators to reduce flood impact, protect assets, and improve resilience through data-driven decision-making.

Innovation Watchlist: Control Systems Capabilities Gaining Traction

Discover the emerging trends in the control systems market along with their firmographic details:

Real-Time Control Systems

Real-time control systems remain a foundational segment of the control systems industry. Our database identifies 465 companies operating in this area, employing approximately 15 200 professionals. The addition of 10+ new employees in the last year reflects steady but limited workforce expansion consistent with a mature technology domain.

The annual trend growth rate of 1.42% indicates stable demand driven by mission-critical applications across manufacturing, energy, transportation, and industrial automation. Here, deterministic performance and low-latency control are essential.

Model Predictive Control (MPC)

MPC represents a more specialized and analytically intensive segment within control systems. The database tracks 150+ companies in this space, supported by a workforce of around 5400 employees. The segment added 2+ employees in the last year.

With an annual growth rate of 4.10%, MPC reflects increasing adoption in complex process industries such as chemicals, energy, and advanced manufacturing. Its value lies in optimizing multi-variable systems, improving efficiency, and managing operational constraints in dynamic environments.

Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS)

CPS is emerging as the most dynamic trend within control systems. Our database identifies 570+ companies operating in this domain, employing approximately 41 800 professionals. The segment added 15+ new employees in the last year.

The annual trend growth rate of 6.47% reflects rising demand for tightly integrated physical and digital systems. CPS enables smarter factories, connected infrastructure, and resilient industrial operations by combining sensing, control, computation, and communication into unified architectures.

Deals, Investments, and Strategic Priorities

Siemens acquired Altair for USD 10.6 billion. This signals that major control/automation players are still paying strategic premiums for simulation and digital engineering capabilities.

Schneider Electric also announced it plans to invest over USD 700 million in the US (through 2027) to support growing demand tied to digitalization, automation, and manufacturing. It is expected to create over 1000 new US jobs.

This is a relevant CAPEX signal for tracking where automation supply chains and delivery capacity are being localized.

Investment activity in the control systems market reflects its scale, maturity, and strategic importance across industrial and infrastructure sectors. The average investment size of USD 42.2 million per round indicates a strong tilt toward mid- to late-stage funding.

The combined value invested by top investors exceeds USD 11.07 billion, showing concentrated capital deployment across major control systems innovators.

Research Approach

This control systems industry outlook leverages the StartUs Insights Discovery Platform to map the market through an execution-first lens, spanning 9M+ companies, 25K+ technologies and trends, and 190M+ patents, news articles, and market reports. Instead of treating control systems as a single OT category, the scope is intentionally stack-resolved and lifecycle-aware. It separates the runtime layer (PLC, DCS, SCADA), the safety-and-reliability layer (SIS, redundancy, diagnostics), and the decision layer (APC/MPC, digital twins, edge analytics, and AI).

The analysis tracks how modernization is actually being delivered on the plant floor. It also follows where control value is shifting: from hardware refresh cycles toward software-defined capability, engineering toolchains, and data-driven optimization that turns control loops into measurable throughput, quality, and energy outcomes.