Buyer's guide

Plant Simulation X is a software-as-a-service (SaaS) solution for manufacturing planning and simulation that delivers scalable, secure and flexible cloud-based discrete-event simulation. It helps manufacturing and production engineering organizations to digitally validate manufacturing and logistics systems upfront and throughout the lifecycle of new product introductions.

In addition to the benefits of cloud managed licensing, Plant Simulation X provides users with access to the PTS X AI Copilot.

You can launch Copilot directly from Plant Simulation X interface.

Plant Simulation X delivers the same full-featured Plant Simulation experience but with cloud-connected convenience. Licenses and updates are managed through Siemens Xcelerator, eliminating manual installation and maintenance. Model planning, simulation and validation still happen locally keeping production and manufacturing data within your secure environment.

Plant Simulation X combines the proven power of Plant Simulation with the flexibility of cloud-connected licensing. It simplifies deployment, scales easily across users and sites and ensures every manufacturing engineer works with the latest version of Plant Simulation without IT complexity or local license servers.

Plant Simulation X is used by manufacturing engineers, including industrial engineers, operations and logistics analysts, consultants and production managers across industries—from small job shops to large enterprises. It supports any organization by providing a flexible, secure, comprehensive manufacturing planning and simulation solution. It also provides important benefits such as manufacturing production and logistics planning, simulation and validation, upfront and throughout the manufacturing lifecycle... without local license management.

Yes, Plant Simulation X connects with digital manufacturing solutions such as NX Line Designer, Opcenter and Insights Hub. It also integrates seamlessly with Teamcenter for Manufacturing and other Siemens Xcelerator solutions, enabling a connected digital thread across design, engineering and production. This integration ensures data continuity, improves manufacturing efficiency and supports closed‑loop optimization across the manufacturing lifecycle.

Plant Simulation X is a cloud-managed, not cloud-hosted, solution. It runs locally for high performance and full control of data, while Siemens Xcelerator manages licensing, entitlements and updates through the cloud.

Plant Simulation X is offered in three tiers and a Runtime option: Essentials, Standard and Advanced. Each tier includes progressively broader capabilities for discrete-event simulation, data integration tools, analysis and optimization tools, and virtual commissioning. High-value add-ons are available to extend your discrete-event simulation to the industrial metaverse and enhance your simulation capabilities.

Named-user licensing assigns software access to individual users rather than shared machines. Each user has their own Siemens ID, allowing secure access from any device or location while maintaining full administrative control.

You have the following options for data storage with Plant Simulation X:

• If you have Teamcenter X, the data will be stored in a single tenant in the cloud.
• If you are using on-premises Teamcenter, the data is stored in the Teamcenter environment.
• You can store data on your own desktop or company managed IT systems.

Plant Simulation X software leverages leading cloud technology for data protection and data security and has been independently verified for data security and integrity by third-party security testing. Plant Simulation X data security is just as secure as on-premise Plant Simulation. More information on how Siemens is protecting your data can be found at Siemens Trust Center.

The cloud is used only to manage licenses, entitlements and updates through the Siemens Xcelerator Admin Console and Siemens Software Center. This means you always have the latest version and access control without the need for on-premises license servers or IT maintenance.

Plant Simulation X connects seamlessly with Teamcenter X Manufacturing for full Digital Thread collaboration and with Teamcenter Share for secure cloud-based ad-hoc file sharing collaboration. You can share files, collect feedback and collaborate with partners without complex IT setup, while keeping core manufacturing data stored locally.

Teamcenter Share is a secure, cloud-based collaboration service within the Siemens Xcelerator platform. It allows designers, engineers and manufacturers to store, view and share design and manufacturing data in one centralized online space. Using only a web browser, users can upload 3D models, drawings and documents, review them in real time and provide feedback through comments and markups — without needing the native authoring software.

Teamcenter Share connects Plant Simulation X users through the cloud to enable secure file sharing and efficient file version tracking.

Yes, Siemens Xcelerator Academy offers dedicated learning modules and enablement courses tailored to Tecnomatix and Plant Simulation X users. These courses cover topics such as getting started with discrete-event simulation, basic and advanced model creation and optimization, virtual commissioning and seamless integration with Teamcenter / Teamcenter X for manufacturing data management.

Siemens Xcelerator Academy is a comprehensive cloud-based learning platform that delivers training and certification programs for Siemens Digital Industries Software. It offers structured learning paths, interactive courses and hands-on exercises that help users build expertise across Siemens solutions such as NX, Teamcenter, Tecnomatix, Simcenter and more.

Through Xcelerator Academy, learners can access self-paced modules, guided tutorials and role-based learning journeys designed to enhance productivity, accelerate software adoption and support continuous professional development for engineers, designers and manufacturers.

Plant Simulation X follows the same continuous release model as Plant Simulation, with regular updates to introduce new capabilities, enhancements and cloud-based innovations. Siemens provides frequent updates to ensure that users always have access to the latest manufacturing technologies without waiting for major version releases.