Siemens backs Chinese open models
Siemens’ CEO said the company is using Chinese open‑source AI models to train industrial automation systems, citing cost and customization benefits — a sign that western industrial players are adopting non‑Western model ecosystems for production use. That comment underscores how open models are reshaping industrial AI sourcing and vendor strategy. (x.com)
The comments coincided with the U.S.–China Economic and Security Review Commission’s “Two Loops” report released March 23, 2026, which frames China’s open‑model ecosystem as a reinforcing advantage for industrial deployment. (uscc.gov) The USCC report states most Chinese labs publish model source code and weights and says those open releases let China iterate models rapidly against real‑world industrial data from manufacturing and robotics. (uscc.gov) The report and Reuters‑style coverage cite market figures and vendor names — roughly 80% of U.S. AI startups are reported to rely on Chinese open models, and examples named include DeepSeek’s R1 and Alibaba’s Qwen family. (aiproductivity.ai) Siemens has been publicly expanding its industrial AI stack this year, pitching an “Industrial AI operating system” and new products at its Beijing showcase while continuing a multi‑year partnership with NVIDIA highlighted at CES 2026. (press.siemens.com) Separately, Siemens disclosed an earlier collaboration to develop an industrial foundation model with Microsoft in 2025 intended to optimize engineering and automation workflows across its portfolio. (rcrwireless.com) Siemens points to ecosystem plays such as its Xcelerator platform and its China business footprint — the company cites serving tens of thousands of customers and positioning Xcelerator to support Chinese SMEs — framing the model choices as part of wider product and market strategy. (w1.siemens.com.cn)
