Siemens and Microsoft work together to drive adoption of AI across industries

• Siemens and Microsoft introduce Siemens Industrial Copilot, an assistant based on generative AI designed to improve human-machine collaboration and increase productivity.
• Siemens and Microsoft will collaborate to build additional copilots for the manufacturing, infrastructure, transportation and healthcare sectors.
• Schaeffler AG, a leading automotive supplier, is a pioneer of Siemens Industrial Copilot.
• The Siemens Teamcenter app for Microsoft Teams will be available in December 2023 and accelerate innovation across the product lifecycle.

Microsoft and Siemens are deepening their partnership by spreading the benefits of generative AI to industries around the world. As a first step, the companies are introducing Siemens Industrial Copilot, a jointly developed assistant powered by AI aimed at improving human-machine collaboration in manufacturing. In addition, integration between Siemens Teamcenter product lifecycle management software and Microsoft Teams will pave the way for an industrial metaverse. That will simplify virtual collaboration between design engineers, front-line workers and other teams across all business functions.

"With this next generation of AI, we have a unique opportunity to accelerate innovation across the industrial sector," said Satya Nadella, chairman and CEO of Microsoft. "Building on our long-standing partnership with Siemens, we are bringing AI developments in the Microsoft Cloud together with Siemens' expertise in the industrial domain to enable both frontline workers and experts to use new AI-powered tools, starting with Siemens Industrial Copilot."

"Together with Microsoft, we want to empower our customers by applying generative AI," said Roland Busch, CEO of Siemens AG. "This could revolutionize the way companies design, develop, produce and operate. By making human-machine collaboration more widely available, engineers can accelerate code development, increase innovation and address the shortage of skilled workers."

A new era of human-machine cooperation

Siemens Industrial Copilot will enable users to quickly generate, optimize and debug complex automation code, significantly reducing simulation times. With this, a task that previously took weeks will be completed in just minutes. The copilot receives automation and process simulation information from Siemens' open digital business platform, Siemens Xcelerator, and enhances it with Microsoft's Azure OpenAI Service. Customers retain full control of their data and it is not used to train underlying AI models.
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Siemens Industrial Copilot promises to increase productivity and efficiency throughout the industrial lifecycle. In natural language, maintenance personnel can be assisted with detailed repair instructions and mechanics can quickly access simulation tools.

The vision: copilots for all sectors

In the companies' vision of the future, AI copilots assist professionals in various sectors, including manufacturing, infrastructure, transportation, and healthcare. Numerous copilots are already planned in manufacturing sectors such as automotive, packaged goods, and mechanical engineering.

Schaeffler AG, a leading automotive supplier, is one of the first in the automotive industry to integrate generative AI into the engineering phase. That helps engineers generate reliable code for programming industrial automation systems such as robots. In addition, the company plans to incorporate Siemens Industrial Copilot during their own operations, with the goal of significantly reducing downtime. At a later stage, this will also be done for their customers.

"With this joint pilot, we are entering a new era of productivity and innovation. The Siemens Industrial Copilot will help our team work more efficiently, reduce repetitive tasks and unleash creativity. We are excited to partner with Siemens and Microsoft on this project." Klaus Rosenfeld, CEO of Schaeffler Group.

Generative AI facilitates virtual collaboration

To take virtual team collaboration to the next level, Teamcenter for Microsoft Teams will be generally available starting in December 2023. This new app uses the latest developments in generative AI to connect functions across the entire product lifecycle, from design to manufacturing, for example, first-line workers and engineering teams. It connects Siemens' Teamcenter software for product lifecycle management (product lifecycle management, PLM) with Microsoft's Teams collaboration platform to make data more accessible to plant and field workers. This will make it easier for millions of workers who do not have access to PLM tools today to contribute to the design and manufacturing process as part of their daily work.

Siemens will provide more information about Siemens Industrial Copilot at the SPS Expo in Nuremberg, Germany, in November 2023.

This press release is here available. For more information, watch the following video. A conversation between Satya Nadella and Roland Busch about the collaboration between Microsoft and Siemens.