Siemens and Audi are revolutionizing manufacturing processes through software-defined automation and artificial intelligence (AI). Their long-standing partnership promotes innovations in the automotive industry by integrating virtual and hardware controls, enhanced safety features, and optimized production processes. Audi also utilizes AI-driven automation from the Siemens portfolio for visual quality inspection. The goal is to detect and remove weld spatter on vehicle bodies using a custom-trained AI algorithm and high-resolution images. This enables Audi to achieve higher body quality and more efficient manufacturing processes.
Virtualizing the shopfloor with software-defined automation
Audi employs Siemens' automation portfolio to standardize and optimize production processes, achieving a more agile, flexible, and safer production environment. To accelerate the transition from automated to highly adaptable production, the IT and OT levels are increasingly interconnected through the gradual virtualization of the shopfloor. Since software-defined factory automation can only be realized with an appropriate control solution, Audi uses the Simatic S7-1500V – the first fully virtual control from Siemens – for body construction at the Böllinger Höfe plant in Neckarsulm. The automaker has begun integrating virtual programmable logic controllers (PLCs) that are compatible with Audi's Edge Cloud 4 Production cloud infrastructure platform. Audi plans to roll out the virtual PLCs in the body construction of the Neckarsulm plant this year.
"A virtualized shopfloor is crucial for flexible production," says Gerd Walker, AUDI AG Board Member for Production and Logistics. "Siemens' software-defined automation portfolio enables us to respond quickly to market changes and make our manufacturing more efficient and flexible."
"Controls are the 'brains' of machines and factories. Now we are virtualizing these brains and bringing them to the cloud. This accelerates the digital transformation at Audi and increases agility, efficiency, and safety in production – for a more flexible, future-proof manufacturing. Together, we are elevating automotive production to a new level and significantly strengthening competitiveness," says Cedrik Neike, CEO of Digital Industries and member of the Board of Siemens AG.
The Simatic S7-1500V, part of the Siemens Xcelerator portfolio, integrates IT and software capabilities into the automation world. As a hardware-independent solution, the virtual control offers the proven functionalities of a hardware control. The PLC is fully compatible with the Totally Integrated Automation (TIA) portfolio and can be technically executed via the TIA Portal. Users can access all known functions, interfaces, and tools familiar from previous use of hardware controls. The controller is provided via Industrial Edge and can be directly integrated into the IT environment. This allows Audi to centrally manage the virtual PLC and flexibly adapt it to specific needs. As a result, PLC projects can be more easily scaled and simply combined with other IT offerings through open data interfaces.
With the TÜV certification for the virtual PLC, Siemens has achieved another milestone: The Simatic S7-1500V F is the first fail-safe virtual control on the market. For the safety of production employees and the reliable operation of machines, it is crucial to implement robust, fail-safe functionalities into automation. Until now, special hardware was required to meet the requirements of functional safety. With the fail-safe virtual PLC, Siemens has now implemented safety mechanisms in an Industrial Edge environment. These advanced safety features make it easier for users to migrate safety-critical applications into software-defined automation environments.
AI-based visual quality inspection for detecting weld spatter
Siemens has provided Audi with the infrastructure to deploy an AI-driven system for real-time quality control in body construction. This solution supports Audi in making its production processes AI-capable. Based on the Siemens Industrial AI Suite and the Simatic Industrial PC BX-59A as an edge device, Audi can perform complex AI-based quality inspections, thus enabling the automated removal of weld spatter. This allows Audi to significantly increase production rates and improve workplace safety.
Panel discussion at Hannover Messe 2025
At this year's Hannover Messe, Siemens and Audi will host a joint panel on how automotive production can be optimized through IT-based automation. Henning Löser, Head of Production Lab at AUDI AG, Sven Müller, Project Manager Edge Cloud 4 Production at AUDI AG, and Rainer Brehm, CEO Factory Automation at Siemens AG, will discuss the benefits and implications of software-defined automation and industrial AI solutions. The event will take place on Monday, March 31, at 4:40 PM CEST at the Siemens booth.
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