Siemens has recently joined forces with leading machine tool manufacturers including Grob, Trumpf, Chiron, Renishaw, and Heller as well as the Machine Tool Laboratory (WZL) of RWTH Aachen and the Voith Group to form a strategic alliance aimed at advancing generative AI applications in industrial environments.
The collaboration will enable a systematic exchange of engineering, manufacturing, and machine data, laying the groundwork for the development of the Siemens Industrial Foundation Model, an industry-specific AI model designed to transform manufacturing processes. Siemens first unveiled its vision for this model at Hannover Messe 2025, and this alliance represents a decisive step toward bringing it to practical implementation in the industrial sector.
Roland Busch, CEO of Siemens AG, said, “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. 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.”
The alliance intends to significantly increase efficiency and innovation cycles in the manufacturing industry with the targeted use of AI technologies. One conceivable use case in the field of machine tools is the automated creation of a part program for machine tools. These programs could be created significantly faster, while the error rate in code creation is reduced. In addition, programmers will be relieved of basic tasks and can focus on more complex challenges.
“Access to high-quality machine data from different manufacturers is the key,” Busch explains. “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.”
The partnership involves the exchange of anonymized machine data in strict compliance with data protection and security standards. Among other things, the data will be used to develop and train AI models specifically tailored to the requirements of industrial manufacturing. The data from the alliance will be used to automatically create NC programs: a kind of “work instruction” for special manufacturing machines. Other use cases include predictive maintenance with precise machine-specific forecasts, adaptive manufacturing processes that adapt in real time to changing conditions, and energy-efficiency optimization through the intelligent control of machine parameters.
The alliance’s long-term strategy includes bringing more companies on board – even beyond the machine tool industry – to leverage industrial artificial intelligence across different industries.
