Siemens opens new digital centre in Abu Dhabi

Siemens, ranked among the top-10 software companies globally, is investing aggressively in research and development

Siemens on Thursday signed a 10-year lease agreement to set up its Dubai operations at District 2020. AP

Germany's largest industrial company Siemens opened a digital centre in Abu Dhabi as it looks to capitalise on the opportunities arising out of the UAE's push to develop smart cities and boost industrial growth.

The new facility in the emirate allows the company to provide remote support for utilities, oil and gas as well as industrial and infrastructure sectors, the company said on Tuesday.

“Our energy systems are evolving as decentralisation and a diversifying energy mix impose greater complexity on our electricity grids,” said Franco Atassi, smart infrastructure head at Siemens in the Middle East.

"We will use the centre to support our customers in their digital transformation, working together to develop and implement technology for smarter cities and industries in the Middle East," he added.

Siemens also launched a digital centre in Abu Dhabi last year to develop digital and artificial intelligence-based solutions for regional customers in the water and oil and gas industries as part of its $500 million (Dh1.83bn) investment plan in the Middle East.

Siemens, which ranks among the 10 largest software companies globally, is investing aggressively in research and development and acquisition of software companies as it seeks to strengthen its position to leverage data analytics.

The latest centre in the UAE capital would allow energy systems to be connected to the Internet of Things, capturing data for consolidation, visualisation as well as analysis in a cloud-based operating system such as MindSphere.

The Munich-headquartered company has 20 MindSphere Application Centres globally designed to develop new business models and industrial applications for its IoT and AI technology.

The centre will enable customers to tap into the digital twin technology, replicating the physical grid in the virtual world and allowing simulation of performance of energy networks prior to construction.