UK software engineering company Zircon has produced a paper on the impact of obsolescence on UK infrastructure, investigating the growing gap between the longevity of physical infrastructure and the rapid pace of software obsolescence.
Dan Russell, Business Development Manager at the company, said: “The UK’s critical infrastructure – including its railways, highways, and industrial sectors – relies heavily on assets designed to last for decades, if not centuries. However, the digital systems and software that increasingly control and monitor these assets have a much shorter lifespan; often less than ten years.
This disparity creates significant operational, security, and financial risks, as software systems become obsolete far earlier than the physical assets they are designed to support.
“In the paper we’ve produced, we draw on research from multiple fields and case studies, while also presenting statistical evidence of the challenges posed by ageing software and hardware systems.
“Our expertise also gives us insight into the railways, highways, and industrial sectors we serve, where we outline possible solutions for managing obsolescence in the digital age.”