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Simulation & Digital Twin

A digital twin is a virtual representation of a physical object and is one way to integrate real-world objects into the digital world.

Siemens approach to the Digital Twin

The Siemens approach to the Digital Twin covers the entire lifecycle of assets, from their design and production to operation, servicing, and maintenance. We build digital twins for products like trains, machines, and aircraft and for complex systems like buildings, chemical plants, and electricity grids.

Simulation is the execution of a (mathematical) model to study the object’s behavior and predict and optimize its performance along its lifecycle. The generated performance data captured in the physical world, enables a continuous and open loop of optimization for both the product and the production.

Inside a Digital Twin

A Digital Twin integrates all data, simulation models, and other information from a physical object generated during engineering, commissioning, operation, and service and are provided to designers, engineers, operators, and service technicians across vertical domains.

The core component of many Digital Twins is a simulation model that implements the behavior of the simulated object. While simulation technology and mathematical modeling has been used for several decades, the options for creating digital twins have improved significantly in recent years due to breakthroughs in solver technology and semantic methods and the vast availability of fast computing hardware and virtual reality technology. At Siemens, we build complex technological products. We create digital twins of our products so we can design them faster, make them more powerful, and enable our customers to operate them more effectively.

Our software solutions also provide our customers with tools to create and use digital twins for their own products.

While those products and solutions cover a broad range of applications, there are significant universal challenges across the domains that we address in the CCT Simulation and Digital Twin. These include the simulation of complex multi-physical and multidisciplinary systems; semantics and knowledge graph technologies to create a digital twinfabric; combining machine learning and simulation; our executable digital twin that can be leveraged in real time during the operation of an actual asset; generative engineering methods for automated support of design engineers; and virtual and augmented reality technologies.

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Siemens Core Technologies

Siemens strives for technological leadership in fields of technology and innovation that are of overriding importance to the company. These Core Technologies are crucial to long-term success of Siemens and its customers. Experts from the global research department of technology and the various businesses work together here, consolidating the company's R&D activities.

Back to all Siemens Core Technologies