What long-term support looks like in modern control systems
RELATED PRODUCTS
PRODUCT INFORMATION
MANUFACTURED BY ABB
PUBLISH DATE
February 9, 2026
RELEASE DATE
February 9, 2026
CATEGORY
DCS, SCADA, Controllers
ABB announced ABB Ability System 800xA 7.0, the latest release of its distributed control system, aimed at supporting phased modernization of industrial automation environments.
As a long-term support (LTS) release, System 800xA 7.0 is intended for existing installations and new projects and adds broad Windows OS compatibility, expanded virtualization support and an extended support lifecycle with fewer major upgrade events.
ABB said System 800xA 7.0 builds on its process automation portfolio and is intended to give users more options for keeping control systems current and supported as requirements change. The release uses a modular architecture with interfaces intended to support integration with other industrial systems and to accommodate system expansion.
System 800xA aligns with ABB’s Automation Extended program and is designed to support phased deployment of digital tools for process and system monitoring. Its architecture separates the control environment from digital applications and connects them through managed interfaces, allowing users to run performance monitoring, analytics and AI-based decision-support tools while keeping core control functions isolated.
In addition to the automation ecosystem, the new release includes several updates:
Extension packs delivery model
System 800xA 7.0 adds Extension Packs, a modular delivery model that lets users keep a base software version while adding new features on a separate update schedule. ABB says this can reduce the frequency of major version upgrades and associated lifecycle management effort.
Operating system and virtualization support
The release supports Windows Server 2025 and 2022 and Windows 11 and 10. It also supports VMware and Hyper-V for virtualization deployments.
Security updates and system hardening
System 800xA 7.0 adds native Microsoft Defender malware protection, security capabilities aligned with IEC 62443, improved certificate management and updated core components. ABB says these updates are intended to support security maintenance for critical systems.
Engineering tools and connectivity updates
Updates include changes to OPC UA client/server functionality, Ethernet-APL device integration and network-centric I/O performance. Version 7.0 also adds support for updated MTP standards in ABB’s Modular Automation Orchestration Designer for modular production deployments.
ABB
Edited by Puja Mitra, WTWH Media, for Control Engineering
