Siemens launches open digital business platform in India to accelerate digital transformation

German industrial manufacturing major Siemens has launched ‘Siemens Xcelerator’ in India to speed up digital transformation of large enterprises and well as small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

“Siemens Xcelerator is an open and evolving digital business ecosystem that comprises a comprehensive, curated portfolio that includes digital and Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled offerings (software, hardware and digital services) from Siemens, and certified third parties,” the company said.

India will play a key role in the global rollout of the 'Siemens Xcelerator' programme, said Peter Koerte, Chief Technology Officer and Strategy Officer, Siemens AG.

"With over 6,000 software engineers at our development centres in the country, India will be at the forefront and a key hub to further accelerate the digital transformation efforts of our customers worldwide," Koerte said at the launch event during the 'Siemens India Innovation Day 2022'.

'Siemens Xcelerator' also includes an evolving marketplace to facilitate interactions and transactions between customers, partners, and developers, Korte said, adding that the Xcelerator will help scale up the innovation and digital transformation journey for customers.

“With Siemens Xcelerator, we have taken everything that a customer needs on to one platform, allowing them to accelerate their digital transformation easier, faster and at scale,” said Sunil Mathur, managing director and CEO, Siemens Ltd.

Mathur added that SMEs in India would be the greatest beneficiaries of this platform as it could help them to scale up, upgrade and adopt new designs and components much faster to stay competitive.

With its headquarter in Mumbai, Siemens India Ltd., the flagship listed company of Siemens AG in India that has 8,608 employees (as of 2022) has also started a project on 'Digital Twin' which is a virtual representation of a physical product or process, used to predict the physical counterpart's performance characteristics.

Mathur informed nearly 600 mid to small companies in India are already engaging with ‘Digital Twin’ product to eliminate the need for physical prototypes, reducing development time, and improving quality of the finalised product or process.

Not just Siemens that is looking to accelerate digital transformation and innovation in the country, other players are also setting up facilities to bring cutting-edge technology and foster innovation. In July, GE Healthcare, a global medical technology, diagnostics, and digital solutions innovator, announced the unveiling of its 5G Innovation Lab in India, the first for GE Healthcare across the globe. The lab would serve as a conduit for the interplay of exponential technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), IoT, big data, edge computing and cybersecurity, the company said.

In August, Japan's Rakuten Symphony, part of e-commerce giant Rakuten, set up a global innovation lab in Bengaluru, by early 2023 and facilities for 6G infrastructure research and development in the region. Another Japanese major Fujitsu also announced a its hub in Bengaluru in April 2022 and is working with several Indian universities in the fields of artificial intelligence/machine learning and robotics.