Significantly reduce workload

Siemens presents the first generative artificial intelligence (AI) product for engineering in an industrial environment. The Siemens Industrial Copilot, a generative AI-powered assistant, is seamlessly connected to the Totally Integrated Automation (TIA) portal. Automation engineers can find answers to their questions more quickly, generate basic visualization, and develop code for programmable logic controllers (PLCs) more quickly.

This significantly reduces your workload, routine tasks can be outsourced to the Siemens Industrial Copilot and the engineering of complex tasks is less prone to errors. With long-term increases in quality and productivity, development times are significantly shorter. The Siemens Industrial Copilot for TIA Portal Engineering will be available for download from the Siemens Xcelerator Marketplace from summer 2024.

Siemens Industrial Copilot: Huge advantages in engineering

The Siemens Industrial Copilot includes the automation and process simulation technology from Siemens' digital business platform Siemens Xcelerator. Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service language models extend Siemens Industrial Copilot to enable, for example, the creation and optimization of software code for factory automation. At the Smart Production Solutions (SPS) trade fair in autumn 2023, Siemens and Schaeffler AG presented for the first time a production machine that was expanded with the Siemens Industrial Copilot.

The Siemens Industrial Copilot will enable industrial customers of all sizes to use generative AI on an industrial scale and transform production processes. Grenzbach Group, a provider of industrial automation solutions, is one of the first users of the Siemens Industrial Copilot. The global family business is testing how generative AI can expand industrial automation and at the same time help engineers reduce time, workload and susceptibility to errors.

Dr. Steven Althaus, CEO Grenzbach Group, says: “Generative AI is an absolute must-have. At Grenzbach, we strive to harness the power of AI to always be one step ahead. The Siemens Industrial Copilot will enable us to make optimal use of the huge amounts of data in factories. And the collaboration between humans and machines reaches the next level. Together with Siemens, we can address the shortage of skilled workers, drive innovation and significantly increase the productivity of our workforce.”
Big advantages for the engineering sector: New features of the Siemens Industrial Copilot

Automated code generation in Structured Control Language (SCL) is one of the new functions of the Siemens Industrial Copilot for TIA Portal Engineering: The TIA Portal takes the code suggestion directly from the AI system, so copying and pasting is not necessary. The Siemens Industrial Copilot can explain SCL code blocks to users, support them with an initial machine or system visualization in WinCC Unified and also create them. Additionally, engineering teams can search Siemens user manuals in natural language. Customers have the ability to access their private instance of Azure OpenAI Service. This means that no customer data is used to train the AI models.

“Siemens makes automation easy. The Siemens Industrial Copilot brings industrial generative AI to the shop floor and will be an indispensable part of the engineering process in the future. With the easy and seamless connection to the TIA Portal, we are the first to offer industrial companies worldwide a generative AI product for engineering,” says Rainer Brehm, CEO Factory Automation at Siemens Digital Industries. “Industrial AI is an important lever for connecting the real and digital worlds – with the aim of addressing challenges such as the shortage of skilled workers or making industrial production more efficient and sustainable.”

Siemens is working on a variety of generative, AI-supported industrial copilots along the entire value chain. Copilots who will transform the way companies design, plan, develop, engineer and operate. Together with pilot customers and partners, Siemens is driving generative AI-powered copilot solutions across a wide range of industries, including automotive, infrastructure, transportation and healthcare, to manufacturing and engineering. Siemens Industrial Copilots for design, planning, engineering, operations and services support engineers, factory employees and everyone else. For simple, fast and efficient interaction between humans and machines.