Siemens expands Industrial Automation DataCenter with edge AI and cybersecurity
Siemens will present the next generation of its Industrial Automation DataCenter, a custom-configured data center for IT needs in production, expanding its turnkey solution into an AI-ready platform.
Structure of the Siemens Industrial Automation DataCenter and its Remote Industrial Operations Services (Source: Siemens AG)
In partnership with NVIDIA and in collaboration with Palo Alto Networks, Siemens delivers secure NVIDIA computing infrastructure at the edge for powerful AI acceleration, alongside NVIDIA BlueField data processing units (DPUs) for intelligent real-time data processing and security from Palo Alto Networks Prisma AIRS.
Delivered pre-installed, pre-configured, and system-tested from a single source, the turnkey solution combines high-performance virtualization for OT applications, backup and restore capabilities, data archiving, and an industrial demilitarized zone, separating IT networks from OT environments. Through a strategic partnership with NVIDIA and collaboration with Palo Alto Networks, accelerated AI computing power and advanced AI-specific cybersecurity from NVIDIA and Palo Alto Networks is now enabled directly at the edge.
This evolution addresses a key industry need, as implementing standardized, pre-integrated AI infrastructure remains a challenge for industrial companies. Building complex, high-performance, and secure AI-capable environments is very demanding, time-consuming, and costly, with integration, installation, and system engineering alone requiring up to 80 hours.
Additional risks include compatibility issues and potential operational downtime. With the enhanced Siemens Industrial Automation DataCenter, customers benefit from real-time insights, optimized processes, and enhanced efficiency, yielding substantial gains in productivity and innovation.
Foundation for industrial digitalization
The Industrial Automation DataCenter brings together partners, technologies and components into a comprehensive, powerful and immediately deployable standard solution. This enables industrial companies to unlock the full potential of AI directly in their production environments as an out-of-the-box solution for more performance, efficiency and innovation.
“Together, Siemens, NVIDIA, and Palo Alto Networks are igniting a new industrial revolution. By fusing Siemens’ Industrial automation technology leadership with NVIDIA’s AI-accelerated platform and Palo Alto Networks’ AI-powered security we are redefining how the physical world is designed, built, and run,” says Dharminder Debisarun, smart industry cybersecurity executive, Palo Alto Networks.
Edge AI powered by NVIDIA
NVIDIA technology enables the Siemens Industrial Automation DataCenter to host and execute production-critical AI applications directly at the edge with NVIDIA accelerated computing. Graphic Processing Units (GPUs) are essential for powering complex AI calculations in real-time applications, for example for quality control using image recognition, predictive maintenance or the optimization of production processes.
NVIDIA BlueField DPUs process data in real-time at the infrastructure layer, offloading, accelerating, and isolating security services to ensure consistent protection and continuous resilience without impacting industrial systems. They deliver deep visibility, advanced micro-segmentation, zero-trust security, and end-to-end secure networking, unlocking a new class of AI-powered industrial cybersecurity.
The use of NVIDIA accelerated computing in combination with NVIDIA BlueField delivers the necessary computing power in real-time to deploy AI applications in the Industrial Automation DataCenter alongside advanced cybersecurity and thus realize previously unattainable functions in industrial environments.
“The growing demand for industrial AI requires a high-performance infrastructure that can securely process massive amounts of data directly at the edge,” said Arik Roztal, senior director of Cybersecurity Business Development at NVIDIA. “NVIDIA accelerated computing combined with NVIDIA BlueField equips the Siemens Industrial Automation DataCenter to provide manufacturers with a validated, secure platform to accelerate their AI transformation and unlock real-time intelligence in production environments.”
Integrated security with Palo Alto Networks
The introduction of AI applications and the associated increased connectivity in the industrial environment increase the risk of cyber threats. To protect complex industrial environments, Siemens integrates the leading cybersecurity solutions from Palo Alto Networks. The advanced Prisma AIRS technology is seamlessly integrated into the technology stack of the Industrial Automation DataCenter for robust protection. For AI applications Prisma AIRS is crucial to help secure critical operations, intellectual property and business continuity.
“Together, Siemens, NVIDIA, and Palo Alto Networks are igniting a new industrial revolution. By fusing Siemens’ Industrial automation technology leadership with Nvidia’s AI-accelerated platform and Palo Alto Networks’ AI-powered security we are redefining how the physical world is designed, built, and run,” Debisarun added.
In conjunction with Prisma AIRS, NVIDIA BlueField contributes significantly to cybersecurity by enabling the analysis of network traffic copies. The decisive advantage is that the system analyzes data streams live without itself becoming part of the data stream or modifying it. This allows non-intrusive security analyses in real-time without affecting latency or network determinism or requiring passage through a firewall. The result is continuous, high-performance operation with comprehensive security.
Remote Industrial Operations Services
Siemens’ Remote Industrial Operations Services include continuous remote monitoring of IT/OT infrastructure, comprehensive cybersecurity measures, regular maintenance and preventive steps, as well as rapid support in the event of incidents. Siemens’ experts monitor and protect companies’ production environments around the clock from the Siemens OT Security Operations Center (SOC), which also reliably protects Siemens’ own facilities worldwide from cyber threats.
Remote Industrial Operations Services offer extends over the entire lifecycle of the Industrial Automation DataCenter and is also flexibly applicable to various IT systems and components in OT environments, including third-party components.