New cifX PC Cards for Cyber Secure PCI Express-based Industrial Communication – Now Expanded with PROFIBUS

Hattersheim, 31 August 2026 – Hilscher has expanded its new generation of Cyber Resilience Act (CRA)-compliant PCI Express cifX PC cards based on the netX 90 system-on-chip (SoC) with new variants featuring a PROFIBUS DP interface. This brings the established fieldbus protocol to Hilscher’s latest PC card platform, combining support for legacy industrial networks with today’s requirements for cybersecurity and long-term availability.

PROFIBUS is widely established in machines and plants around the world and remains an important part of the automation architecture for many manufacturers and operators. With the new PC cards in PCI Express and Low Profile PCI Express formats, Hilscher enables manufacturers of PC-based automation systems to integrate PROFIBUS interfaces into modern devices while maintaining connectivity with existing systems and networks. The new variants are based on the same technology platform already used for PROFINET and other Industrial Ethernet protocols.

The expansion follows the multiprotocol concept behind Hilscher’s netX technology: different industrial communication technologies can be implemented on a common hardware platform. By adding PROFIBUS, Hilscher extends the protocol coverage of its secure netX 90-based PC card portfolio, which already supports numerous Industrial Ethernet and IIoT communication protocols:

• PROFINET IO-Device
• EtherCAT SubDevice
• EtherNet/IP Adapter
• OpenModbus/TCP Server/Client
• CC-Link IE Field Basic Slave
• POWERLINK Controlled Node
• Sercos Slave
• OPC UA Server
• MQTT Publisher/Subscriber

The communication protocols are provided through loadable, pre-certified firmware stacks. For device manufacturers, this approach reduces the need for different hardware variants and simplifies development, logistics, maintenance, and migration across protocols and target markets.

cifX follows the same consistent approach for drivers, APIs, configuration tools, and integration concepts. Existing users can continue working with familiar tools while benefiting from straightforward migration paths between protocols, cifX generations, and other netX-based communication solutions.