Siemens launches Eigen AI for automated PLC and HMI engineering

Siemens introduced the Eigen Engineering Agent, an AI tool that plans, generates and validates programmable logic controller code, human-machine interface layouts and device configurations from within its Totally Integrated Automation (TIA) Portal engineering platform. The agent runs engineering workflows end to end and presents results for human review and approval.

The system breaks engineering tasks into ordered steps, applies multi-step reasoning and self-correction, and repeats cycles until outputs meet predefined project requirements. It can access project-specific data inside TIA Portal, including system structures, control logic, component relationships and hierarchies, allowing it to produce code and configurations that align with existing system layouts, including legacy or undocumented environments.

Siemens reports the agent can carry out typical automation engineering tasks two to five times faster than manual workflows while maintaining accuracy. In pilot deployments across more than 100 companies in 19 countries, participants included ANDRITZ Metals, CASMT and Prism Systems. Prism Systems used the agent to generate and import structured control language (SCL) code and reported shorter execution times. CASMT applied the agent to device configuration, code generation and HMI visualization during production line development and reported fewer cross-discipline hand-offs and faster delivery timelines.

The Eigen Engineering Agent is available through Siemens’ Xcelerator software portfolio and is accessed digitally inside TIA Portal, which Siemens reports has more than 600,000 users. Initial deployments focus on automation engineering workflows, with the system structured to extend into other parts of the industrial value chain as additional integrations and use cases are added.

Industry context for the launch includes persistent labor and skills shortages in manufacturing. Estimates indicate a potential global shortfall of up to seven million manufacturing workers by 2030, and some sectors report about one in five engineering positions remain open. Surveys of manufacturers show gaps in data quality and contextualization despite large volumes of operational data, and a shortage of workers with the technical skills required to deploy and manage AI systems in industrial settings.

The Eigen agent aligns with Siemens’ broader industrial AI investments. Siemens has pledged about €1 billion to industrial AI efforts, employs more than 1,500 AI specialists and holds over 2,000 AI-related patent families, according to company figures.