Siemens reveals an expanded partnership with Microsoft regarding Siemens Xcelerator, Siemens’ open digital business platform, aimed at streamlining the integration of information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) for corporate clients. Integrating Siemens Industrial Edge with Microsoft Azure IoT Operations will provide customers with complementary solutions that facilitate a smooth transfer of data from production lines to the edge and then to the cloud. This edge-to-cloud data integration allows for AI- and digital-twin-enhanced solutions that enhance machine performance, boost product quality, and decrease machine maintenance.
Historically, industrial firms have handled data and workloads within distinct IT and OT settings. Currently, enhancing manufacturing adaptability requires the convergence of OT and IT. Edge computing is essential as it connects the shopfloor with the cloud, enabling data to be collected and processed right at the source: on the shopfloor.
Using Siemens Industrial Edge, manufacturers can effortlessly and swiftly implement and oversee applications in a manufacturing setting. Applications for connectivity implemented on Siemens Industrial Edge devices facilitate ongoing data streams from industrial assets to Azure IoT Operations.
A fundamental element of the Azure adaptive cloud strategy, Azure IoT Operations aims to effortlessly connect on-site industrial edge solutions, such as Siemens Industrial Edge, to the cloud, guaranteeing an uninterrupted data stream for more intelligent operations.
Thus, the robust OT data plane offered by Siemens Industrial Edge seamlessly integrates with Azure IoT Operations, establishing an interoperable OT and IT data framework for manufacturing. Siemens Industrial Edge’s data layer proficiently caters to essential production applications, including virtualized control, low-latency closed-loop AI, executable digital twins, and analytics at the production line level.
“Siemens and Microsoft are reducing complexity for industrial customers by easing the burden of integrating and managing infrastructure, data and applications,” explained Rainer Brehm, CEO Factory Automation at Siemens. “It is now easier to deploy and scale automation solutions across machines, lines and factories, enabling higher machine performance and reduced maintenance time.”
“Through the Microsoft adaptive cloud approach, manufacturers can now leverage Siemens Industrial Edge with Azure IoT Operations and unify their data with Microsoft Fabric. This marks a significant milestone in Siemens’ and Microsoft’s common journey towards accelerating the digital transformation of manufacturers by enabling them to create data-driven applications in hybrid environments faster than ever before,” said Dayan Rodriguez, Corporate Vice President, Manufacturing and Mobility, at Microsoft.