Siemens’ Industrial Copilot Brings AI-Powered Efficiency to Engineering and Manufacturing, Welcoming thyssenkrupp Automation Engineering as a Global Partner

Siemens’ Industrial Copilot Brings AI-Powered Efficiency to Engineering and Manufacturing, Welcoming thyssenkrupp Automation Engineering as a Global Partner

(IN BRIEF) Siemens’ Industrial Copilot, the first generative AI assistant designed for industrial engineering, has expanded its capabilities, gaining thyssenkrupp Automation Engineering as a global customer. New features include multimodal inputs, agent-based automation, and an on-premises solution to ensure data security. thyssenkrupp will implement the Industrial Copilot across global facilities to streamline engineering processes, enhance machine code development, and improve operational efficiency. The Copilot will also be used in Siemens’ Electronics Factory to minimize machine downtime and production bottlenecks, highlighting its role in tackling industry challenges like skilled labor shortages.

(PRESS RELEASE) NUREMBERG, 12-Nov-2024 — /EuropaWire/ — The Siemens Industrial Copilot, heralded as the first generative AI-driven assistant tailored for engineering in industrial contexts, is gaining momentum with new functionality and a significant customer partnership. Siemens has announced expanded capabilities for the Industrial Copilot, including multimodal functions and an on-premises implementation to enhance both engineering and operations. In a milestone for the initiative, thyssenkrupp Automation Engineering has adopted the Industrial Copilot on a global scale.

Transforming Engineering with the Siemens Industrial Copilot

Unique in its ability to autonomously generate code for automation engineering, Siemens’ Industrial Copilot for Engineering offers an unprecedented level of support for engineers. New features in development—such as multimodal inputs and agent-based processes—are expected to increase its utility for complex tasks. To meet the high standards of data privacy in industrial environments, Siemens is developing an on-premises hardware-software configuration of the Copilot for Operations, ensuring data sovereignty on the factory floor.

According to Rainer Brehm, CEO of Factory Automation at Siemens, “Siemens is utilizing its industry expertise to transform generative AI into robust solutions ready for deployment without requiring AI specialization. The Siemens Industrial Copilot accelerates automation, propelling our customers toward enhanced innovation, productivity, and competitive strength.”

Global Rollout by thyssenkrupp Automation Engineering and Siemens Electronics Factory

Facing intensified competition and labor shortages, industrial companies are looking to advanced AI to bridge the gap. With the integration of the Industrial Copilot for Engineering, thyssenkrupp Automation Engineering is deploying this generative AI technology across global facilities. Currently, the Copilot is employed in battery machine setups for electric vehicle quality assurance, assisting engineers with the rapid development of structured control language (SCL) for programmable logic controllers (PLCs), streamlining automation processes, and creating machine visualizations in WinCC Unified. These advancements enable thyssenkrupp to minimize repetitive tasks like sensor configuration, ultimately optimizing team efficiency.

Dr. Rolf-Günther Nieberding, CEO of thyssenkrupp Automation Engineering, commented, “Our longstanding collaboration with Siemens has continually brought innovation. Rolling out the Industrial Copilot across our operations will allow us to meet challenging project demands faster, benefitting us and our clients alike.”

The Siemens Electronics Factory in Erlangen, Germany, has already integrated the Industrial Copilot for Operations in its soldering lines, where it aids operators in interpreting machine error codes by providing natural-language explanations and suggested solutions. By drawing insights from documentation and historical data, the Copilot helps reduce machine downtime, alleviates production bottlenecks, and enhances operational continuity during shift changes.

Advanced Functionalities: Multimodality, Agent Concepts, and On-Premises Security

The Siemens Industrial Copilot continues to evolve with innovative features designed for real-world industrial challenges. The Copilot for Operations empowers shopfloor workers by enabling direct interaction with machines for maintenance, error management, and performance improvements. Future updates will incorporate multimodal input processing, allowing image interpretation and agent-based automation, which segments larger tasks into manageable actions. To safeguard sensitive data, the Industrial Copilot will also be available as an on-premises solution powered by NVIDIA NIM microservices and hosted on Siemens’ Simatic Industrial PC (IPC 1047E). This configuration keeps all operational data securely within local systems, eliminating the need for cloud connectivity and supporting rapid, on-site decision-making.

For the Engineering Copilot, multimodal inputs will enable it to detect and incorporate manual changes in ECAD documents used for electrical planning, simplifying the update process in TIA Portal. Through agent-based automation, the Copilot will facilitate complex automation projects by breaking down intricate processes, connecting to external systems, and autonomously executing required actions, thus giving engineers full control over production processes with detailed visibility.

Since July 2024, the TIA Essential Engineering Copilot has been available on the Siemens Xcelerator marketplace. This advanced industrial tool combines Siemens’ automation expertise with one of the most robust GPT models on the market via Microsoft’s Azure OpenAI Service, ensuring enterprise-grade security and performance. By bridging generative AI and industrial demands, Siemens makes advanced AI tools accessible, reliable, and secure for a wide range of applications in industrial settings.

Siemens Digital Industries (DI) is an innovation leader in automation and digitalization. Closely collaborating with partners and customers, DI drives the digital transformation in the process and discrete industries. With its Digital Enterprise portfolio, DI provides companies of all sizes with an end-to-end set of products, solutions, and services to integrate and digitalize the entire value chain. Optimized for the specific needs of each industry, DI’s unique portfolio supports customers to achieve greater productivity and flexibility. DI is constantly adding innovations to its portfolio to integrate cutting-edge future technologies. Siemens Digital Industries has its global headquarters in Nuremberg, Germany, and has employed around 72,000 people internationally.

Siemens AG (Berlin and Munich) is a leading technology company focused on industry, infrastructure, mobility, and healthcare. The company’s purpose is to create technology to transform the everyday, for everyone. By combining the real and the digital worlds, Siemens empowers customers to accelerate their digital and sustainability transformations, making factories more efficient, cities more livable, and transportation more sustainable. Siemens also owns a majority stake in the publicly listed company, Siemens Healthineers, a leading global medical technology provider shaping the future of healthcare. In fiscal 2023, which ended on September 30, 2023, the Siemens Group generated revenue of €74.9 billion and net income of €8.5 billion. As of September 30, 2023, the company employed around 305,000 people worldwide on the basis of continuing operations. Further information is available on the Internet at www.siemens.com.

Media Contact:

Hannah Arnal
Siemens AG
+49 152 22572736
hannah.arnal@siemens.com

SOURCE: Siemens AG