Siemens & Microsoft 'Xcelerate' Industrial Connectivity
Siemens is strengthening its collaboration with Microsoft as part of Siemens Xcelerator, its open digital business platform, to enable industrial clients like manufacturers to better pursue IT and OT integration.
By combining Siemens Industrial Edge with Microsoft Azure IoT Operations, manufacturers can ensure seamless data flow from production lines to the edge and into the cloud.
This integration supports AI-driven and digital twin-powered solutions that enhance machine performance, improve product quality and reduce maintenance needs.
Enhancing industrial connectivity
Siemens Industrial Edge enables manufacturers to deploy and manage workloads as well as connectivity applications efficiently, ensuring industrial assets are seamlessly linked to Microsoft Azure. Traditionally, industrial firms managed IT and OT data separately.
However, the need for more adaptive manufacturing has driven the convergence of these environments. Edge computing plays a vital role by bridging the gap between the factory floor and the cloud, processing data directly at its source.
With Siemens Industrial Edge, manufacturers can rapidly deploy and manage applications within their factories. Connectivity tools installed on Siemens Industrial Edge devices facilitate continuous data exchange between industrial assets and Azure IoT Operations.
As a key part of Microsoftâs adaptive cloud strategy, Azure IoT Operations seamlessly integrates on-premises industrial edge solutions with the cloud, ensuring uninterrupted data flow for more intelligent operations.
By linking Siemens Industrial Edge with Azure IoT Operations, manufacturers can establish an interoperable data system that merges OT and IT.
The Siemens Industrial Edge data layer supports mission-critical production applications such as virtualised control, low-latency closed-loop AI, executable digital twins and production line analytics.
This allows businesses to implement responsive, reliable and secure applications that optimise operations, lower costs and enhance both uptime and quality.
With Azure IoT Operations, producers can further harness OT data in cloud-based analytics to optimise production across multiple locations and gain valuable insights.
Reducing complexity in industrial automation
Siemens and Microsoft are working together to make industrial automation simpler by reducing the challenges of integrating and managing infrastructure, data and applications.
Siemens Industrial Edge provides a unified, scalable system for managing critical OT workloads, allowing manufacturers to centrally deploy and oversee production-level applications at scale.
Meanwhile, Azure delivers a cohesive control plane for IT workloads across cloud and on-premises environments.
By leveraging both solutions, businesses can efficiently deploy and manage hybrid workloads wherever required, focusing on the key objective—harnessing data, AI and digital twins to streamline production and improve adaptability.
Transforming shopfloor data into actionable insights
"Microsoft provides the technology," says Dr. Rupert StĂźtzle, General Manager, Manufacturing & Mobility EMEA at Microsoft in a video posted to Siemens Industry's LinkedIn page.
"And a message we can't repeat often enough is that there is no AI without data.
"We need to have the data platforms that provide the data across all the different domains to train our models and create the functionality that AI can provide."
By integrating Siemens Industrial Edge with Microsoft’s cloud and AI services, manufacturers can seamlessly transfer data from production lines to the edge and the cloud. This partnership allows industrial companies to implement edge-to-cloud solutions that enhance efficiency and quality.
For example, manufacturers can use the Siemens Industrial AI portfolio alongside Azure Machine Learning to train AI models in the cloud and run them at the edge with low latency, improving product quality while reducing manual rework and costs.
Additionally, data from Siemens Industrial Edge, combined with Azure IoT Operations and Azure cloud services, can create digital twins to optimise equipment efficiency and value flows on the shopfloor.
Live production data can also be integrated with generative AI capabilities to support workforce development and enhance operational efficiency.
The Siemens Industrial Copilot for Operations assists operators in troubleshooting and accessing machine data through natural language queries, helping to streamline processes and improve decision-making on the factory floor.
Enhancing industrial connectivity
Siemens Industrial Edge enables manufacturers to deploy and manage workloads and connectivity applications efficiently, ensuring industrial assets are seamlessly linked to Microsoft Azure.
Traditionally, industrial firms managed IT and OT data separately. However, the need for more adaptive manufacturing has driven the convergence of these environments.
Edge computing plays a vital role by bridging the gap between the factory floor and the cloud, processing data directly at its source.
With Siemens Industrial Edge, manufacturers can rapidly deploy and manage applications within their factories.
Connectivity tools installed on Siemens Industrial Edge devices facilitate continuous data exchange between industrial assets and Azure IoT Operations.
âSiemens and Microsoft are reducing complexity for industrial customers by easing the burden of integrating and managing infrastructure, data and applications,â explained Rainer Brehm, CEO Factory Automation at Siemens.
âIt is now easier to deploy and scale automation solutions across machines, lines and factories, enabling higher machine performance and reduced maintenance time.â
As a key part of Microsoft’s adaptive cloud strategy, Azure IoT Operations seamlessly integrates on-premises industrial edge solutions with the cloud, ensuring uninterrupted data flow for more intelligent operations.
By linking Siemens Industrial Edge with Azure IoT Operations, manufacturers can establish an interoperable data system that merges OT and IT.
The Siemens Industrial Edge data layer supports mission-critical production applications such as virtualised control, low-latency closed-loop AI, executable digital twins and production line analytics.
This allows businesses to implement responsive, reliable and secure applications that optimise operations, lower costs and enhance both uptime and quality.
With Azure IoT Operations, producers can further harness OT data in cloud-based analytics to optimise production across multiple locations and gain valuable insights.
Reducing complexity in industrial automation
"We're amazing companies and we have tremendous reputations, on our own we have our skills and our capabilities," Scot Garnder, senior vice president sales and marketing, Siemens digital industries said in a video posted by Siemens Industry's LinkedIn page.
"But when we come together we can bring new and unique things in a way that on our own we just can't do.
"What it really comes down to is that we have the ability to bring together operational AI and scale it."
âThrough the Microsoft adaptive cloud approach, manufacturers can now leverage Siemens Industrial Edge with Azure IoT Operations and unify their data with Microsoft Fabric," says Dayan Rodriguez, Corporate Vice President, Manufacturing and Mobility, at Microsoft.
"This marks a significant milestone in Siemensâ and Microsoftâs common journey towards accelerating the digital transformation of manufacturers by enabling them to create data-driven applications in hybrid environments faster than ever before."
Transforming shopfloor data into actionable insights
By integrating Siemens Industrial Edge with Microsoft’s cloud and AI services, manufacturers can seamlessly transfer data from production lines to the edge and the cloud. This partnership allows industrial companies to implement edge-to-cloud solutions that enhance efficiency and quality.
For example, manufacturers can use the Siemens Industrial AI portfolio alongside Azure Machine Learning to train AI models in the cloud and run them at the edge with low latency, improving product quality while reducing manual rework and costs.
Additionally, data from Siemens Industrial Edge, combined with Azure IoT Operations and Azure cloud services, can create digital twins to optimise equipment efficiency and value flows on the shopfloor.
Live production data can also be integrated with generative AI capabilities to support workforce development and enhance operational efficiency.
The Siemens Industrial Copilot for Operations assists operators in troubleshooting and accessing machine data through natural language queries, helping to streamline processes and improve decision-making on the factory floor.
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