Siemens Industrial Copilot: Bringing Gen AI to ThyssenKrupp

As industries increasingly turn to AI for operational efficiencies, Siemens is carving out a distinct space in manufacturing with its AI-driven assistant, the Industrial Copilot. 

Designed for engineering and manufacturing environments, the Industrial Copilot represents Siemens’ ambition to embed Gen AI into the heart of industrial processes. 

Thanks to its recent partnership with Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems becoming one of the biggest adopters of this technology, the manufacturing sector is set to see a case study to just how effective it can be in the space.

Introducing the Industrial Copilot

ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems of Germany is a group and holding company of providers of naval vessels, surface ships and submarines. 

What Siemens brings to ThyssenKrupp’s Automation Engineering is the first Gen AI-powered assistant ever created for engineering in an industrial environment. 

With the power to code, interpret images, and assist with complex engineering tasks, the Industrial Copilot is making waves by enhancing human-machine collaboration and optimising productivity. 

For Thyssenkrupp, whose marine systems engineering demands high precision and intricate workflows, this adoption of Siemens’ technology is a strategic step towards more agile and intelligent operations. 

Built as a hardware-software bundle that prioritises data sovereignty, the Copilot ensures that sensitive data remains on-site, avoiding reliance on cloud storage. 

The assistant operates on a local setup using NVIDIA’s AI Enterprise software platform, allowing real-time queries on operational data without an internet connection. 

While Siemens provides the automation elements of the Industrial Copilot, the natural language processing is carried out by one of the most powerful GPT models that uses the Azure OpenAI Service of the Microsoft Cloud.

This on-premises approach not only enhances data security but also aligns with industry requirements for robust data management, especially in sectors where confidentiality is critical.

"With Siemens’ domain expertise, we’re turning generative AI into industrial-grade solutions that can be deployed without specialised AI expertise,” says Rainer Brehm, CEO of Factory Automation at Siemens, emphasises this innovation. 

“The Siemens Industrial Copilot is a supercharger for industrial automation, accelerating our customers’ journeys toward greater innovation, productivity, and competitiveness." 

The assistant is designed to enable engineers to focus on more complex problem-solving, while routine coding or troubleshooting tasks are handled efficiently, fostering greater productivity across the board.

Enhancing operations at Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems

Thyssenkrupp has begun integrating Siemens’ Industrial Copilot into its engineering processes. 

By leveraging Gen AI, Thyssenkrupp is streamlining its coding efforts within the TIA Portal, Siemens’ engineering framework, and speeding up repetitive tasks such as SCL code generation for programmable logic controllers. 

The AI assistant also generates machine visualisations, which simplifies configuration and management tasks, enabling engineers to spend less time on administration and more on innovation. 

For a company managing complex, large-scale engineering projects, this integration is set to reduce bottlenecks and improve efficiency throughout its production lines.

“Rolling out the Siemens Industrial Copilot across our machines will help us – and therefore our customers – to implement demanding projects in a much shorter time,” says Dr Rolf-Günther Nieberding, CEO of Thyssenkrupp Automation Engineering.

Thyssenkrupp’s move aligns with Siemens’ broader vision of using Gen AI to improve human-machine collaboration across industries, reinforcing that AI-driven support systems can empower engineers by handling repetitive tasks and providing actionable insights into machine performance.

Implications of Gen AI in industry

Siemens’ Copilot development reflects an industry-wide push towards Gen AI applications that extend beyond traditional automation. 

A Gartner report predicts that by 2028, 75% of developers will regularly use Gen AI to assist with coding, a steep rise from less than 10% in early 2023.

But currently, manufacturers have been slow to jump on the Gen AI wagon. A 2024 study by software company Lucidworks highlighted that only 58% of manufacturing leaders plan to increase spending on AI in 2024. This is lower than the global consensus of 63%.

But such projections highlight the transformative role of Gen AI in sectors where speed, efficiency, and data security are essential. Siemens’ 

Industrial Copilot, as seen in its deployment at Thyssenkrupp, is demonstrating how AI-powered tools can address the sector’s challenges by reducing downtime, automating repetitive tasks, and improving knowledge transfer.

Unlike consumer-grade AI products that primarily generate text or visual content, Siemens’ Industrial Copilot is tailored to meet the security and operational requirements of manufacturing environments. 

This adaptation allows it to handle complex data queries and fault diagnostics with accuracy and speed. 

By delivering a comprehensive AI solution that can perform multimodal analysis and operate autonomously within secure, on-premises environments, Siemens is setting a new standard for how AI can support operational resilience in manufacturing.

The future of industrial Copilots

As industries face a growing shortage of skilled engineers and mounting pressure to increase productivity, Siemens’ approach to Gen AI in manufacturing represents a timely solution. 

The Industrial Copilot's ability to support engineering processes by simplifying code generation and diagnostics not only eases workload pressures but also fosters a safer and more productive workplace. 

Siemens has already implemented this technology across its own manufacturing sites, including its Electronics Factory in Erlangen, where it assists operators by translating error codes into clear, actionable insights. 

By integrating these solutions into Thyssenkrupp's global facilities by 2025, Siemens aims to extend the reach of its Copilot’s benefits to a broader industrial audience.

******

Make sure you check out the latest edition of AI Magazine and also sign up to our global conference series - Tech & AI LIVE 2024

******

AI Magazine is a BizClik brand