Siemens and Google Cloud to collaborate on industrial AI

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Siemens and Google Cloud are working on the development of artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML) solutions for industrial processes.

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Scaled deployment of artificial intelligence is expected to transform manufacturing(Image: Siemens/Google Cloud)

The partnership will seek to integrate Siemens’ Digital Industries Factory Automation portfolio with Google Cloud’s capabilities, allowing manufacturers to run cloud-based AI/ML models on top of factory data and deploy algorithms at the network edge on the factory floor. According to the two companies, the joint offering has the potential to improve manufacturing processes such as visual inspection and predictive maintenance.

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“The potential for artificial intelligence to radically transform the plant floor is far from being exhausted,” said Siemens Digital Industries’ Axel Lorenz, VP of Control at Factory Automation.

“Many manufacturers are still stuck in AI ‘pilot projects’ today - we want to change that. Combining AI/ML technology from Google Cloud with Siemens’ solutions for Industrial Edge and industrial operation will be a game changer for the manufacturing industry.”

Industry 4.0 and Industrial IoT are well-worn tropes across the manufacturing sector but Siemens and Google Cloud claim their combined industrial and technology expertise can bring about holistic AI solutions that are not confined to a siloed part of the factory floor, bringing tangible benefits that go beyond the pilot projects and test cases that have become somewhat synonymous with AI in manufacturing.

“Siemens is a leader in advancing industrial automation and software, and Google Cloud is a leader in data analytics and AI/ML,” said Dominik Wee, managing director Manufacturing and Industrial at Google Cloud.

“This cooperation will combine the best of both worlds and bring AI/ML to the manufacturing industry at scale. By simplifying the deployment of AI in industrial use cases, we’re helping employees augment their critical work on the shop floor.”