Inside CONNACK! Episode 5: How UNS Fuels Industrial AI

After successful episodes in Boston, Paris, and Munich, the CONNACK! community event series is back with a new edition in Chicago—Episode 5 on October 30—focused on “Supercharging Industrial AI with Data-Centric Architecture.” Hosted by HiveMQ in partnership with Concept Reply, the event brings together OT/IT and AI leaders, engineers, influencers, and innovators to share insights working with IoT, MQTT, the Unified Namespace (UNS), and industrial AI. The event runs from 9 am - 6 pm CDT, seats are limited, and registration is still open. 

Where Data Architecture Meets Industrial AI

CONNACK! Episode 5 centers on designing data architectures for enabling industrial AI at scale. Many manufacturers racing to implement AI face a harsh reality: without proper data infrastructure, even sophisticated machine learning models fail to deliver value. Raw sensor data scattered across proprietary systems in vendor-specific formats creates an impossible landscape for AI deployment.

As AI moves from proof-of-concept to production, success hinges on one critical factor: your data foundation. This is where the value of the Unified Namespace (UNS) resides: as a data architecture that continuously transforms raw, siloed data into usable information and distributes it to stakeholders across various levels of an organization's hierarchy. 

The UNS Powering AI Use Cases

The UNS—by creating a single source of truth for all operational data—transforms chaotic data flows into structured, contextualized streams that AI models can actually use. HiveMQ, an MQTT powered IoT data streaming platform built for the demands of industrial systems, enables UNS architectures that become the backbone of data-driven operations and AI-powered innovation.

In a manufacturing era where competitive advantage stems from data intelligence rather than just operational efficiency, CONNACK! has become an essential forum for staying current and connected—for defining the standards and practices that will shape industrial operations for the next decade. 

What Industrial Teams Can Expect

CONNACK! Episode 5 delivers a full day of practical insights for teams actively building or planning industrial AI solutions. Featuring an impressive speaker lineup, presentations address topics such as architecting AI-ready infrastructure, industrial AI at scale, edge intelligence, IT/OT convergence, and building autonomous systems on MQTT.

Networking breaks provide equally valuable learning opportunities and conversations, often sparking breakthrough ideas that transform how organizations approach their data architecture. 

The CONNACK! Episode 5 Agenda

Registrations and Coffee

Time: 8:30 AM - 9:00 AM

Keynote: Beyond the Broker: Building an Ecosystem Around MQTT

Presenter: Remus Pop, Partner, Concept Reply

Time: 9:15 AM - 10:00 AM

What you'll learn from this session: MQTT has proven itself as the ideal platform for Unified Namespace implementations, providing the real-time data distribution backbone that modern industrial operations demand. But as organizations mature in their UNS journey, they're discovering that the broker is just the beginning. This keynote explores the critical next phase: building rich ecosystems that extend beyond MQTT. We'll examine how leading companies are layering data persistence, analytics, intelligence and business logic around their MQTT infrastructure. 

Building Your Digital Lighthouse: Achieving Operational Visibility with Unified Namespace 

Presenter: Dylan DuFresne - Co-Founder, Abelara

Time: 10:15 AM - 11:00 AM

What you'll learn from this session: Like ships navigating through fog, industrial organizations need a lighthouse - a beacon providing visibility across their operational landscape. Let's explore how Unified Namespace serves as that lighthouse, creating a single source of truth that illuminates the path to digital transformation. We'll discover how visibility becomes your most powerful tool for navigating complexity. You'll learn practical strategies for implementing a single source of truth that guides decision-making, accelerates problem-solving, and charts your course through digital transformation.

Coffee Break

Time: 11:00 AM - 11:30 AM

Applying B2MML and BatchML to a Unified Namespace

Presenter: David Schultz - Principal Consultant, G5 Consulting

Time: 11:30 AM - 12:15 PM

What you'll learn from this session: The best part of a Unified Namespace is that there is not a standard. The worst part of a UNS is that there is not a standard. There is always tension between innovation and governance. The good news is that a standard exists for exchanging data between Level 4, Level 3, and Level 2 systems. The better news is it supports push, pull, and publish/subscribe patterns. This presentation will discuss the B2MML and BatchML schemas and how to apply them in a UNS approach. This includes the information objects, verbs used for indicating the type of exchange, and payload validation.

Networking Lunch

Time: 12:15 PM - 1:15 PM

Own Your Data: Building the Infrastructure to Empower Any Manufacturer

Presenter: Brian Pribe - Founder, MACH Controls LLC

Time: 1:15 PM - 2:00 PM

What you'll learn from this session: This session explores how manufacturers can take control of their data by designing a scalable, interoperable architecture based on the Unified Namespace (UNS) pattern. We’ll walk through a practical infrastructure example that combines industrial software, systems to facilitate any manufacturer's data needs. Whether you're starting your digital transformation journey or looking to break free from data silos, this talk will demonstrate how the right architecture can give you full visibility, flexibility, and control on your terms.

Additional Session

Details to be announced—check the event page for updates.

The Advantage of Joining CONNACK!

CONNACK! Episode 5 offers the opportunity to hear distinguished speakers and directly access architects and engineers building production-grade UNS and AI systems. By attending, you’ll discover how the UNS is evolving from a connectivity solution to become the nervous system of intelligent industrial operations.

Don't let your organization fall behind in the race to intelligent manufacturing. Join us in Chicago on October 30 to discover how data-centric architecture supercharges your industrial AI initiatives, turning the promise of smart manufacturing into operational reality. 

Register for the event today and become part of the HiveMQ CONNACK! community.