Siemens, China To Explore Gas Turbine Collaboration

Siemens and State Power Investment Corp. (SPIC) of China entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to further confirm the intention of a technology collaboration in the field of heavy-duty gas turbines.

Joe Kaeser, president and CEO of Siemens AG, and Qian Zhimin, Chairman of SPIC, signed the MoU in Berlin in the presence of German Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel and Chinese Premier Le Keqiang during his official visit to Germany.

The MoU defines scope and principles of cooperation between the two companies. Under the MoU, Siemens intends to support SPIC to conduct research and development for heavy-duty gas turbines and provide training and technical consultation for SPIC. This cooperation leverages Siemens technology leadership in support of China’s goal to independently develop and build an own heavy-duty gas turbine. The signing will expedite finalization of a technology cooperation agreement in the near future, Siemens said.

“The technology cooperation with SPIC is another important milestone in the long-term relationship of Siemens with China,” Kaeser said. “While Siemens provides leading technology to China, SPIC will bring its vast experience in the Chinese market. Together as partners, we can achieve big things to the greater good of Chinese-German relations as well as providing efficient and sustainable energy to China and the world.”

SPIC Chairman Qian Zhimin said SPIC is actively developing and implementing the China Heavy Duty Gas Turbine program.

“The collaboration with Siemens and other multinational gas turbine companies will accelerate the progress of the program,” Zhimin said. “Both Siemens and SPIC have complementary strengths in the energy sector, and will have more space to cooperate in more business areas in the future.”

China is one of the world’s most important markets for large gas turbines and is expected to intensify its investment in large gas turbine technology.

Siemens also signed an MoU with Alibaba Cloud, the cloud computing arm of Alibaba Group to foster the industrial Internet of Things (IoT) in China. The two companies said they will leverage each other’s technology and industry resources to build a unique IoT solution to support Industrie 4.0, China’s manufacturing upgrade and transformation and other industrial Internet initiatives.

“Today’s landmark partnership marks an exciting step towards Alibaba Cloud’s goal to enable digital transformation across the globe. We are delighted to partner with Siemens and together we hope to accelerate the adoption of IoT products and services that will create industry-wide breakthroughs and progress,” said Simon Hu, senior vice president of Alibaba Group and president of Alibaba Cloud

As part of Siemens comprehensive digital offerings, MindSphere is Siemens’ cloud-based, open IoT operating system that delivers a wide range of device and enterprise connectivity options, robust applications, advanced analytics, and closed-loop innovation with complete digital twin solutions. The implementation of MindSphere on Alibaba Cloud will provide compelling services for companies in China Mainland to innovate with advanced industrial solutions.