Siemens has introduced AI applications at its Electronics Factory in Erlangen, Germany, as part of its collaboration with NVIDIA on AI-supported manufacturing. The applications use AI and digital twins to support production ramp-up and production planning. At CES in Las Vegas in January 2026, the companies announced plans to develop AI-enabled manufacturing sites. Since then, they have been developing and testing applications in live production at the Erlangen plant.
The Erlangen facility is being used to test industrial AI applications and evaluate how they can be deployed at other manufacturing sites. Siemens and NVIDIA plan to develop additional applications for product design, manufacturing and delivery operations in the coming months.
The Siemens and NVIDIA team developed the first applications in less than ten months by combining NVIDIA’s AI, simulation and accelerated computing technologies with Siemens’ industrial software, automation and manufacturing expertise. Testing the applications in a production environment allowed the teams to address operational requirements related to production planning and product development.
For new printed circuit board (PCB) assemblies used in drives and frequency converters manufactured in Erlangen, virtual production preparation can reduce engineering effort by up to 85% and time to market by up to 40%. Previously, quality inspection preparation could take several weeks because teams needed physical prototypes to train vision systems and configure inspection equipment. The new workflow uses AI to generate photorealistic representations of PCB assemblies from digital twins, allowing engineers to prepare inspection systems before physical prototypes are available.
AI-based tools also support production planning by considering capacity, material availability, delivery dates and production-line constraints. At the Siemens Electronics Factory in Erlangen, an AI agent generates production scenarios when new orders arrive and shows planners the effect of each option using defined key performance indicators. The proposed plans are then evaluated with a digital twin of the production facility before implementation. Siemens states that this agent-based planning process can support cost savings of up to 20% while helping manufacturers respond to new orders, material shortages and changes in customer requirements.
The applications combine Siemens’ industrial software and manufacturing expertise with NVIDIA technologies. NVIDIA Cosmos world models generate training data for quality inspection. The NVIDIA Factory Operations Blueprint supports AI agents that generate production plans, while NVIDIA Omniverse libraries allow teams to test those plans virtually using factory data.
Established in 1971, the Siemens Erlangen plant in southern Germany employs approximately 1,000 people and manufactures power electronics and automation technology for industry and infrastructure. Its products support applications including machine tools, battery production and process and discrete manufacturing. The site has tested, developed and deployed digital manufacturing technologies during live operations for more than a decade. More than 100 AI algorithms are currently used in production, logistics, quality inspection and maintenance. Siemens plans to expand the site through 2030 and has announced an investment of €500 million in its transformation.
For more information, visit siemens.com.
The post Siemens tests AI manufacturing tools at Erlangen plant appeared first on Engineering.com.