Next Generation Platform: the Control System of the Future takes shape

How PSI is building international flexibility into the future of Grid & Energy Management

The energy transition is a global challenge, but the requirements for managing energy infrastructure differ from market to market. Languages, technical terminology, regulatory frameworks, and operational conventions shape how grid operators work. For software providers, the challenge is to develop solutions that accommodate these differences without creating a separate technological foundation for every market.

PSI Software SE is addressing this challenge with its Next Generation Platform (NGP), currently in development. With NGP, we are succeeding the previous “Control System of the Future” (CSF) program and taking the next step in our technological evolution. NGP establishes a common platform, enables more integrated product development, and provides the flexibility to meet the diverse requirements of international markets.

Adapting software for international markets involves much more than translating menus and messages. Users operate across different time zones, work with different date formats and currencies, and rely on distinct character sets and specialized technical terminology. Industry-specific abbreviations and regional conventions must also be represented accurately in the software they use every day.

These details matter in operational environments where clarity and consistency are essential. A system must speak the language of its users in more ways than one.

NGP is being developed with these requirements in mind. Planned internationalization features include runtime language switching, allowing operators to change the user interface language without restarting the application or interrupting ongoing tasks. The platform will also support regional conventions and specialized terminology.

The goal is to make regional adaptation an integral part of the product itself, rather than treating it as a separate step after development.

This approach is reflected in the wider architecture of NGP. PSI is moving from historically evolved, monolithic systems towards a modular platform in which individual functional components can be maintained, updated, and scaled independently.

For internationalization, this creates a flexible foundation for responding to changing requirements. Regional terminology, regulatory changes, and different operational needs can be considered as the platform evolves, while its core architecture remains shared.

The platform is still being developed, and its international potential will evolve alongside it. PSI is combining its established expertise in grid and energy management with a new architecture intended to accommodate a broader range of market requirements.

Technology alone cannot define what different markets need. Understanding regional requirements also depends on collaboration between product teams and customers.

PSI’s active product management brings these perspectives together. The first working groups, comprising experts from PSI and customers, have already been established. The DACH region serves as a technological anchor as the platform is gradually expanded into international markets.

This provides a framework for developing NGP further while considering the different requirements it will need to accommodate.

With NGP, PSI is taking the next step in the evolution of its grid and energy management technology. The ambition is to combine decades of domain expertise with a modular platform that can adapt to different languages, regional conventions, and technical requirements.

By incorporating internationalization into development from the outset, PSI is preparing a common technological foundation for a diverse range of markets. As NGP continues to take shape, this approach will help guide the platform’s evolution towards the needs of an increasingly international energy sector.