SYSTEMA’s message bus services provide semiconductor manufacturers with the foundation for quick and efficient equipment integration, real-time event-driven automation, and scalable data exchange which are all prerequisites for enabling advanced analytics and predictive AI.

Whether you’re just getting started with equipment integration and automation or looking to replace your existing message bus solution, SYSTEMA’s message bus services provide the framework necessary for supporting the complexities of semiconductor manufacturing and ensure long-term scalability.

What is a Message Bus?

A message bus, also known as the communication layer or “digital backbone”, makes it possible for machines, MES, analytics platforms, and other systems to ‘speak the same language’ reliably and in real time. This provides flexibility for the expansion and integration of new applications, devices, services, communication methods, and protocols while also enabling data streaming capabilities along with the event-driven, and service-oriented architectures which are necessary for manufacturing automation, analytics, and predictive AI.

Digital Backbone Mit WS

Smart Manufacturing with Apache ActiveMQ Artemis

SYSTEMA has been customizing, implementing and providing migration services for message bus solutions for more than 30 years. We have implemented message bus solutions across Tibco, Broadcom/VMWare, Synadia, Apache and others before selecting Apache ActiveMQ Artemis as our preferred platform based on its performance, scalability, and ecosystem support.

SYSTEMA’s implementation extends the functionality of a given message bus to provide the non-native features necessary for application and equipment integration across the shop floor. After careful evaluation of available solutions, our preference is Apache ActiveMQ Artemis based on the following:

  • Performance: High efficiency in handling data transmission and processing.
  • Data Privacy: Sufficient safeguards are in place to protect data via SSL encryption and configurations for user authentication & authorization.
  • Scalability: Artemis handles increasing load without degrading performance. Performance is limited by available bandwidth rather than bus capacity.
  • Apache’s Open-Source Community: Releases are frequent and stable with versioned support. The development community consistently updates the solution with new features and fixes. The project developers and community members are active in discussions by providing assistance, answering questions, and responding to bug reports. A variety of plugins, SDKs, and monitoring tools are also available.
  • Cost: Apache ActiveMQ Artemis is 100% free and open-source software released under the Apache 2.0 license, allowing unrestricted use in commercial environments without licensing or distribution costs.

    For organizations that require enterprise-grade support and lifecycle management, Red Hat AMQ provides a commercially supported version of Artemis. Red Hat AMQ offers long-term stability, tested and certified releases, performance tuning, and direct access to Red Hat’s support engineers—ideal for mission-critical manufacturing environments where guaranteed uptime and compliance are essential.
  • Support: SYSTEMA implements and provides ongoing support for both the open-source version of Apache ActiveMQ Artemis and the commercially licensed Red Hat AMQ distribution. For open-source deployments, SYSTEMA delivers comprehensive implementation, configuration, and lifecycle support, complemented by the active Apache open-source community that continually enhances and maintains Artemis.

    For manufacturers requiring enterprise-grade SLAs, certified releases, and long-term maintenance, Red Hat AMQ—built on Apache ActiveMQ Artemis—offers professional support directly from Red Hat. SYSTEMA ensures seamless implementation and integration of either version, aligning the choice with each customer’s operational, compliance, and scalability requirements.

Key Benefits

Benefits

real-time decision making

Real-time decision-making in response to fab events such as wafer map anomalies, tool faults, or demand spikes enabled by Artemis’s low-latency event propagation 

save time & money

Accelerate integration timelines and lower total cost of ownership (TCO) by using Artemis’s multiple protocols (JMS, AMQP, MQTT, STOMP, OpenWire) to connect legacy tools, MES, and ERP without costly custom middleware

Key Features

Performance & Scalability

  • Low-latency delivery: Enables near-instant propagation of production events, critical for responding to tool faults, wafer map anomalies, and sudden demand changes.
  • Asynchronous messaging: Keeps systems responsive even during high-volume bursts.
  • High availability & failover: Supports clustering and replication to ensure uninterrupted operations.
  • Horizontal scaling: Add brokers on demand using clusters to handle higher message loads without redesigning architecture.
  • Dynamic load balancing: Automatically optimizes resource usage across brokers to prevent bottlenecks.
  • Edge processing: Runs Artemis brokers close to equipment to minimize latency.

Analytics & AI Enablement

  • Event-driven architecture: Streams real-time data to AI/ML systems, enabling predictive maintenance, quality optimization, and demand forecasting.
  • Integration with analytics platforms: Accelerates deployment of advanced dashboards and automated insights.

Openness & Extensibility

  • No licensing fees: Artemis is fully open-source under the Apache 2.0 license.
  • Robust ecosystem: Supported by an active Apache community and enterprise-grade options from Red Hat.
  • Extensible architecture: Easily customize Artemis to meet the specific integration and analytics needs of semiconductor fabs.

Example Use Cases in Manufacturing

Use Case How Artemis Helps Outcome
Real-time production monitoring 

Collects data from PLCs, SCADA, and MES and streams to dashboards

Faster detection of process anomalies

Predictive maintenance

Sends sensor data to ML models for failure prediction

Reduces unplanned downtime of high-value semiconductor tools
 Automated quality control Routes defect data instantly to inspection systems Supports defect traceability at wafer, lot, and die levels

Why SYSTEMA?

Implementing a message bus in a semiconductor fab is about achieving full integration across hundreds of tools, shop-floor systems, and enterprise applications. That’s where SYSTEMA adds value.

With over 30 years of experience in high-tech manufacturing environments, SYSTEMA helps manufacturers:

Accelerate Integration

Reduce deployment timelines and integration costs by leveraging SYSTEMA’s pre-built frameworks, custom connectors, and deep knowledge of MES, APC, SPC, equipment interfaces, and other shop floor applications.

Extend Artemis Beyond Native Capabilities

While Apache ActiveMQ Artemis is powerful out of the box, SYSTEMA develops enhancements to address the unique complexities of semiconductor environments.

Ensure Scalability & Reliability

SYSTEMA extends message bus services to grow with your fab and supports increasing equipment volumes, evolving protocols, and expanding analytics requirements without rework.

Enable Predictive AI & Analytics

By enabling high-throughput, low-latency data flows, SYSTEMA ensures that your Artemis implementation becomes the foundation for advanced analytics, predictive maintenance, and future-ready manufacturing.

Access Ongoing Expertise & Support

From initial design to migration and long-term optimization, SYSTEMA partners with your team to ensure the solution evolves alongside your production needs.