Siemens & Microsoft expand partnership to boost innovation

Microsoft has expanded its partnership with Siemens, as announced by Tony Hemmelgarn, President and CEO of Siemens Digital Industries Software at the Realize LIVE event in Las Vegas.

The initiative will make the Siemens Xcelerator as a Service portfolio accessible via Microsoft's cloud and AI platform, Azure. It also includes integration with generative AI and Copilot features.

Siemens and Microsoft have a partnership history spanning over 35 years. Hemmelgarn commented on the expanded association stating, "Our customers have asked for Siemens to bring our industry-leading industrial software to Azure ... we are pleased to expand this partnership so we can best enable our customers to digitally transform through our joint solutions." The move promises increased flexibility and choice for Siemens customers and extends the reach of Microsoft's renowned AI solutions.

To initiate this extension, Siemens will introduce Teamcenter X software, a rapidly scalable, secure Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solution, on Microsoft Azure. This will enable customers to execute their mission-critical solutions on their preferred cloud and AI platform. Teamcenter X has proven to be essential for leading manufacturing companies and innovators across the globe. The software offers a smooth starting point and efficient control over product data, reducing cycle time, IT costs and accelerating innovation. By being available on Azure, the benefits of Microsoft's responsible AI tools and enterprise-grade security become available for organisations.

This ongoing collaboration follows the launch of the Teamcenter app on Microsoft Teams. The app, proud recipient of Siemens' leading Teamcenter software for PLM, unifies frontline factory and service teams with design and engineering teams. Labours now have access to engineering enterprise from a mobile device and collaboration within the workforce has been facilitated. Siemens is also developing a Copilot for Microsoft 365 plugin for the Teamcenter app, enabling employees across the product lifecycle to streamline and prioritise their workloads more effectively.

Nick Parker, President of Industry & Partnerships at Microsoft, expressed excitement about the deepening collaboration with Siemens. "By harnessing our latest advances with generative AI and Copilot capabilities, we empower design engineers, frontline workers and teams across business functions and geographies, unlocking new levels of customer-centric innovation and productivity," he commented.

Siemens Digital Industries Software's role, beyond providing software, hardware and services, is to assist with a company's digital transformation via the Siemens Xcelerator business platform. The software is designed to optimise the design, engineering and manufacturing processes, transforming contemporary ideas into the sustainable products of the future.