Siemens and Microsoft jointly working on generative AI

Multinational tech company Siemens has recently announced a collaboration with tech giant Microsoft in jointly working on a new AI-based project. Called the 'Siemens Industrial Copilot scheme', the two companies will be working together to use generative AI for the manufacturing, transportation, and healthcare industries.

German automotive supplier Schaeffler AG is among the companies to have adopted the Siemens Industrial Copilot, Siemens said. No cash amounts related to the partnership, which will also supply Siemens itself, were disclosed.

The project will create AI copilots to assist staff at customer companies as they design new products and organise production and maintenance.

It examines information gathered by Siemens and helps customers quickly create, improve and debug complex automation codes and shorten simulation times at their factories and other facilities.

Schaeffler has been using generative AI to help its engineers programme industrial automation systems like robots. It intends to use the Siemens Industrial Copilot to reduce production downtimes at its plants. Tasks that previousl took weeks to complete could now be completed in a matter of minutes, Siemens said.

"This has the potential to revolutionise the way companies design, develop, manufacture, and operate," said Siemens Chief Executive Roland Busch. "Making human-machine collaboration more widely available allows engineers to accelerate code development, increase innovation and tackle skilled labour shortages."