Siemens and machine tool companies agree to share data for AI development

Siemens AG and several machine tool manufacturers announced September 23 they would form a “data alliance,” an agreement to share engineering data with each other for the interest of future developments in applications for generative software for industrial use. The collaboration between Siemens and Grob, Trumpf, Chiron, Renishaw, Heller, the Voith Group and the German university RWTH Aachen’s Machine Tool Laboratory aims at the creation of a generative AI program for manufacturers, the Siemens Industrial Foundation Model.

According to Siemens, the AI, once developed, could be used to automatically create parts for machine tools while reducing error rates in code creation: For such a program, Siemens CEO Roland Busch said, “access to high-quality machine data from different manufacturers is the key.”

“With this alliance, we can develop AI systems that reflect the complexity entailed in development and manufacturing, and so it will become a powerful partner for skilled workers,” he added.

Siemens noted that the AI could also be used to generate NC programs, or work instructions for special manufacturing machines; precisely predict preventative maintenance for individual machines; adapting manufacturing processes to real-time changing conditions and optimizing energy use.

In its statement, Siemens noted the exchanged machine data shared would be anonymized “in strict compliance with data protection and security standards.”

Siemens doesn’t intend to stop with machine tool makers. The German technology firm said it hopes to add more companies from elsewhere in industry to contribute to the data-sharing project.

What people are saying

"Along with our customers and partners, we are taking a significant step today to scale industrial AI. I see a great opportunity here for the European economy and its strong industrial base – from automotive, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals to mechanical engineering, energy, healthcare, infrastructure, and transport among others,” said Roland Busch, CEO of Siemens AG. “By making our companies’ unique data treasure available to create generative AI models, we can achieve totally new levels of productivity – and this data alliance in the machine-building industry is leading the way.”

“Purely mechatronic improvements in mechanical engineering no longer generate significant gains in productivity. The three key areas for greater productivity are increasing the degree of automation — robotics —, increasing technical availability, and reducing non-productive time. All three dimensions are largely driven by software and data. In order to optimize across individual technologies, data from individual processes must be collected and processed automatically via AI. We want to work with others on an open platform to achieve this,” Stephan Mayer, CEO of Trumpf Machine Tools, wrote on LinkedIn.