Draft:Asset Administration Shell

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The Asset Administration Shell (AAS) is an internationally standardized framework for the digital description and provision of industrial asset information. It forms the technological foundation of the Digital Twin in industry and enables standardized data exchange between systems, components, and actors in connected production environments.

The AAS is conceived as a structure in which all essential information and functions of a physical or virtual object (e.g., a machine, sensor, or software module) are digitally consolidated and made available in machine-readable form. It provides a standardized software structure, a standardized interface, and standardized information models (so-called Submodels) that make it possible to describe the properties and functions of an asset and to access them. This enables interoperability and data integration across manufacturer and system boundaries.

The AAS follows a modular design consisting of Submodels. Using standardized semantics, Submodels describe partial aspects of assets such as technical data, operating states, lifecycle information, or capabilities.

The concept was developed within the framework of the German initiative Plattform Industrie 4.0 to realize the digital twin in industry and has since been incorporated into the international standard series IEC 63278, published by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). Today, the AAS is regarded as a key technology for the digital transformation of industrial value chains and forms the basis for numerous implementation projects aimed at building cross-industry data spaces worldwide.

Background and Origin

The AAS concept was developed under the auspices of Plattform Industrie 4.0, the German initiative aimed at driving digital transformation in industrial production during the fourth industrial revolution. Its primary goal was to establish a uniform, interoperable data structure facilitating standardized communication across components, machinery, equipment, and IT systems. The concept was first introduced in 2015 as part of the Reference Architecture Model for Industrie 4.0 (RAMI 4.0). Since then, the AAS has become a central technical backbone for the Industrial Digital Twin.

In September 2020, ZVEI, VDMA, and Bitkom, together with twenty industrial companies, founded the Industrial Digital Twin Association (IDTA) at the initiative of Plattform Industrie 4.0. The IDTA took over the maintenance and further development of the AAS specification.In time for Hannover Messe 2023, IDTA released the industry-ready AAS specification version 3.0. In December 2023, the IEC published the international standard IEC 632781: Asset Administration Shell for industrial applications – Part 1: Asset Administration Shell structure, formally embedding the AAS within the international standardization landscape.

Structure and Architecture

The AAS comprises several key elements:

Metamodel: Defines the basic structural container for the Asset Administration Shell.

Application Programming Interface (API): Facilitates access to AAS content.

Information Models (Submodels): Define the structure and semantics of asset-related information.

Typically, the AAS is stored and operated in a cloud-based environment, allowing for flexible deployment and access.

Specifications by the IDTA

The Industrial Digital Twin Association provides a comprehensive suite of resources to support standardized and interoperable implementation of the AAS:

Part 1: Metamodel

Part 2: Application Programming Interfaces (APIs)

Part 3a: Data Specification Template (IEC 61360-based)

Part 4: Security

Part 5: Package File Format (AASX)

These specifications include technical details on the structure and the interface of the AAS, as well as descriptions of Submodels and best practices for implementation. The most important documents and resources are available as open source on the IDTA website.

• AAS-Spezifikationen der IDTA

Standards and Interoperability

Interoperability is central to the AAS concept, which relies on several international standards:

IEC 63278: Defines requirements and data model for the AAS, ensuring global interoperability.

IEC 61360: Provides the general data model for technical objects.

ECLASS: A standardized classification system for products and services with ISO-compliant features.

OPC Unified Architecture (OPC UA): Offers a secure, standardized platform for machine-to-IT communication.

The first published part of the AAS standard is IEC 63278-1 Asset Administration Shell for industrial applications – Part 1: Asset Administration Shell structure.[1] It defines the structure and contents of the AAS in detail, thereby ensuring uniform implementation and use worldwide. Further information on this standard is available on the website of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).

Functionality and Use Cases

The AAS stands out by combining technological neutrality, standardization via IEC norms, and semantic interoperability across the entire lifecycle of an asset. It is the only standardized approach aiming at secure and interoperable data management across systems and companies.

Some notable applications include:

Standardized Data Exchange & Interoperability: AAS enables machine-readable, semantically structured data, easing integration across heterogeneous IT systems and reducing data handoff disruptions.

Condition monitoring and predictive maintenance: By integrating real-time data from sensors and control systems, the condition of an asset can be continuously monitored. On this basis, predictive maintenance algorithms can be applied to detect faults at an early stage and to plan maintenance measures as needed.

Virtual Commissioning & Integrated Engineering: AAS exposes digital models, configuration data, and parameters—allowing virtual testing and optimization before physical commissioning.

Lifecycle Management & Digital Product Passport: AAS captures asset information throughout its lifecycle—from development and production to usage and disposal—serving as a digital product dossier, which is valuable for compliance and traceability via Submodels like CO₂ footprint tracking.

Efficiency Gains & New Business Models: Structured data via AAS cuts engineering workloads, speeds up changeover processes, and enables services like ConditionMonitoringasaService or automated component identification.

Adoption and Implementation

Implementation of the AAS varies depending on context, system landscape, and digital maturity levels. It is widely used in smart factories to enable interoperability among machines, components, and IT systems, supporting automation and coordinated workflows.

In addition, the AAS is increasingly being applied in supply chain management. By providing standardized product and condition information along the supply chain, it enables end-to-end transparency—for example, for certificates of origin, quality documentation, or the traceability of individual components. The AAS also forms a technological foundation for the Digital Product Passport, as envisaged in European regulatory initiatives. Pilot projects and initial industrial rollouts show that the AAS is becoming a central element in the implementation of data-driven, integrated, and resilient supply chains.

An important indicator of the dissemination and practical implementation of the AAS is the work of the IDTA working groups. Here, experts from companies, associations, and research institutions continuously develop new so-called Submodels—standardized semantic data structures for specific use cases, such as nameplate data, technical characteristics, energy consumption, or maintenance. These Submodels are based on real industrial requirements and demonstrate concretely where and how the AAS is applied in practice. The active participation of many industrial companies in these specifications highlights the growing support for the standard in the market, while also providing an overview of the wide range of addressed use cases. The current status of these developments is publicly available on the IDTA website.

• AAS Submodel Templates

Role in Industry Programs: Manufacturing-X and Catena-X

The AAS plays a strategic role in Germany's Manufacturing-X initiative, supported by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE). This initiative aims to create a sovereign data ecosystem for manufacturing, enabling data ownership and exchange throughout the value chain. The AAS serves as a key technology to ensure interoperability and promote the integration of SMEs into the data economy.

Similarly, in the European Catena-X initiative—designed to establish a connected and transparent automotive supply chain, based on Gaia-X principles—the AAS is central to enabling standardized digital twins, such as sharing material properties, CO₂ footprints, and recycling information across participants.

Further reading

• Abdel-Aty, M. (2022). "Applications of the Asset Administration Shell in manufacturing". IFAC-PapersOnLine. doi:10.1016/j.ifacol.2022.08.283 (inactive 6 November 2025).{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of November 2025 (link)
• Gleich, B. (2024). "Digital Product Passport enabled by Asset Administration Shell". Journal of Manufacturing Systems. doi:10.1016/j.jmsy.2024.04.002.
• Kühn, A. (2025). "Digital Product Passport model based on the AAS". Sustainability. doi:10.3390/su17031122.
• "AAS Reading Guide". Plattform Industrie 4.0. Retrieved 2025-11-06.

External links

Category:Automation Category:Industry 4.0 Category:Standard Category:Standardisation