Multi-agent Systems and Cloud Computing for Controlling and Managing Chemical and Food Processes

Cloud computing can offer a very powerful, reliable, predictable and scalable computing infrastructure for the execution of MAS (multi-agent systems) implementing complex agent-based applications such when modelling, simulation and real-time running of complex systems must be provided. Multi-agent systems appears as an adequate approach to current challenges in many areas. Between important qualities of MAS also belongs to, that they are open, interoperable, and heterogenous systems. The agent is active, a program entity, has its own ideas how to perform the tasks of the own agenda. Agents: perceive, behave "reasonably", act in the environment, communicate with other agents. Cloud infrastructures can offer an ideal platform where run MAS systems simulations, applications and real-time running because of its large amount of processing and memory resources that can be dynamically configured for executing large agent-based software at unprecedented scale. Cloud computing can help chemical and food companies drive operational excellence; meet growing and changing customer demands; accelerate new product innovation and ramp-to-volume manufacturing in key markets; reduce IT spending; manage and mitigate supply chain risks; and enable faster and more flexible delivery of new IT system. Production type of SOC (service-oriented computing) can be inspired by a "Cloud", for the production of "Cloud" offers an attractive and natural solutions in several computing trends such as delivery system over the Internet, use of utilities, flexibility, virtualization, a "grid" distributed computing, outsourcing, Web 2.0, etc.. Production of the "Cloud" is also considered as a new multidisciplinary field that includes "network" production, virtual manufacturing, agile manufacturing, and of course cloud computing. Examples of cloud computing and MAS applications in food and chemistry development and industry, proposition of using multi-agent systems in the control of batch processes, modified ACO (ant colony optimization) approach for the diversified service allocation and scheduling mechanism in cloud paradigma, examples of applications in a business area were studied in the paper.