Siemens and Snowflake have announced a strategic partnership aimed at solving one of the industry’s biggest challenges: integrating operational technology (OT) data and information technology (IT) data. The collaboration seeks to help manufacturers boost operational efficiency, scale digitalization, and extract new insights based on artificial intelligence (AI).
Bringing the “shop floor” to the cloud
The agreement connects Siemens Industrial Edge with the Snowflake AI Data Cloud, enabling plug-and-play applications from Industrial Edge to contextualize and transfer plant data to corporate IT systems.
In this way, customers will be able to build a robust database to:
- Optimize production processes.
- Improve machine performance and availability.
- Enhance product quality with real-time analytics.
- Reduce maintenance costs through predictive AI.
Rainer Brehm, CEO of Factory Automation at Siemens, highlighted:
“This collaboration combines the best of both worlds. Siemens brings expertise in integrating OT and IT on the shop floor, and Snowflake provides leadership in managing and analyzing large-scale data. Together, we help companies scale their digital transformation.”
Christian Kleinerman, EVP of Product at Snowflake, added:
“The ability to apply AI to both IT and OT data isn’t just an advancement; it’s opening the door to a new reality of radical optimization and automation through AI agents.”
Use case: FFT as a pioneer
The manufacturer FFT, specializing in flexible production systems, is already using this integration on its own lines. Its DataBridge application, part of the Siemens Industrial Edge ecosystem, securely transfers production data to Snowflake for advanced analysis.
FFT acts as an integrator and partner for both Siemens Xcelerator and Snowflake, applying these capabilities across sectors such as mobility and heavy industry.
A solution to break down data silos
Overcoming data silos remains one of the biggest obstacles in industrial digitalization. The Siemens–Snowflake joint solution addresses this from two angles:
- At the edge: Industrial Edge connects various sources (PLCs, sensors, automation systems), preprocesses data, and runs AI models in a closed loop with production.
- In the cloud: Snowflake centralizes, secures, and analyzes data with advanced AI and agent capabilities, providing actionable insights to plant managers, data engineers, and IT executives.
The result: greater visibility, faster decision-making, and more resilient factories.
Siemens and Snowflake, leaders in their sectors
- Siemens Digital Industries, with 70,000 employees, leads automation and industrial software, supported by its open platform Siemens Xcelerator.
- Snowflake, with its AI Data Cloud, has become a global benchmark for data integration and enabling workflows based on AI and intelligent agents.
This collaboration reinforces both companies’ vision: an industry where the physical and digital worlds blend to create smart, sustainable, and efficient factories.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What does IT/OT convergence mean?
It is the integration of plant operational data (sensors, PLCs, production lines) with corporate IT systems (supply chain, finance, ERP) to provide a unified, real-time view of the enterprise.
What does Snowflake contribute to the manufacturing industry?
Its AI Data Cloud platform centralizes and analyzes large volumes of OT and IT data, enabling insights based on AI, automation, and the breaking down of silos.
How does Siemens Industrial Edge support this process?
It connects and preprocesses machine and system data at the edge, allowing real-time AI model execution and sending contextualized information to the cloud.
What concrete benefits does this bring to manufacturers?
Increased machine availability, improved product quality, reduced maintenance costs, full process visibility, and the ability to scale digitalization across factories and entire lines.
via: snowflake