Siemens has developed an AI-based tool that goes beyond advisory roles to independently perform design, programming and validation tasks in industrial automation. The Eigen Engineering Agent is built specifically for automation engineering and connects directly to the Siemens TIA Portal engineering platform.
Capabilities
The Eigen Engineering Agent can generate PLC code (which controls equipment), create HMI visualizations and configure devices, while operating with knowledge of the full project context. It does more than propose changes: it executes tasks, performs self-checks, and iteratively refines results until they meet specified quality criteria.
The word "eigen" in the product name (German for "own" or "self") is intended to convey that the tool produces project-specific outputs and aims to provide stable, reliable intelligence in a rapidly changing AI landscape.
Test results and metrics
According to Siemens, trials at more than a hundred companies showed that the Eigen Engineering Agent delivers work two to five times faster than manual workflows, yields approximately a 50 percent increase in engineering efficiency, and produced about an 80 percent improvement in solution quality.
Two new features: ECAD integration and standards-based project generation
Siemens announced two additional capabilities:
-
ECAD integration: the Eigen Engineering Agent can directly read electrical design files in XML and AML formats. It detects inconsistencies, handles them, and automatically generates PLC data in TIA Portal based on the electrical topology. Previously, electrical design and automation software development were separate, sequential tasks that required engineers to manually transfer parts lists and reconcile differing naming conventions.
-
Standards-based project generation: initial project setup — breaking machines into modules, naming units, building data structures and defining state transitions — can take days and is prone to errors even for experienced teams. With the new capability, an engineer can provide a simple natural-language description of the machine (stations, devices, behavior), and the agent will generate a complete, standards-compliant project within minutes that opens directly in TIA Portal.
Purpose and positioning
Siemens states the intention is not to replace engineers but to shorten repetitive, error-prone phases. The company positions the tool as a way for engineers to focus on complex, system-level decisions instead of data transfer and project setup tasks.
Availability
The Eigen Engineering Agent is part of the Siemens Xcelerator portfolio and is presented as an implementation of the company’s "automation of automation" vision. A one-month free trial version is available.
Summary
Siemens positions the Eigen Engineering Agent as a means to significantly speed up and improve routine engineering tasks in industrial automation, particularly PLC coding, HMI design and project initiation. The ECAD integration and standards-based project generation aim to reduce errors and delays arising from manual handovers and initial project preparation.
