Siemens and Alibaba have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that allows the technology and e-commerce giants to share industry resources to build a unique Internet of Things (IoT) solution for China.
President and CEO of Siemens AG Joe Kaeser, and Senior Vice President of Alibaba Group Simon Hu, signed the document in front of German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang during his visit to Germany.
MindSphere, Siemens’ cloud-based IoT operating system, will be implemented on Alibaba Cloud, to offer highly useful services to help Chinese companies develop innovative and advanced industrial practices.
The partnership, will develop a range of device and enterprise connectivity options, robust applications, advanced analytics, and closed-loop innovation with complete digital twin solutions.
Wolfgang Lehmacher discusses how important the Internet of Things can be to a smart supply chain in a recent Port Technology technical paper
Commenting on the MoU, Joe Kaeser said: “We continue to build our global industrial digital network by partnering with Alibaba Cloud.
“This cooperation is a landmark deal for bringing Industrie 4.0-solutions to China as the world’s powerhouse of manufacturing.
“Our customers will be able to unlock the potential of the Industrial Internet of Things with MindSphere now also on the leading Chinese cloud platform.”
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The agreement between the two companies stipulates immediate collaboration, both organisations planning to make MindSphere available on Alibaba Cloud by 2019.
Simon Hu stated: “Today’s landmark partnership marks an exciting step towards Alibaba Cloud’s goal to enable digital transformation across the globe.”