Siemens, Nvidia Develop AI System to Cut Electronics Inspection Preparation Time

October 22, 2026 | By Semahegn Nigatu

Siemens and Nvidia are developing an artificial intelligence system designed to help electronics manufacturers prepare circuit board inspections virtually before physical production begins, targeting lower engineering workloads and improved manufacturing quality.

The collaboration combines Siemens’ Teamcenter product lifecycle management software and Process Preparation X with Nvidia’s Cosmos platform to generate synthetic images of circuit board defects and prepare automated optical inspection (AOI) systems before new products enter production.

The companies are demonstrating the technology at Siemens’ electronics factory in Erlangen, Germany, where they are testing AI-supported production processes in an environment designed to accommodate frequent product changes.

The project targets an 85 percent reduction in manual engineering effort required to generate AOI programmes, a 40 percent reduction in false defect alerts and an improvement of more than five percent in first-pass yield, according to the companies. These are targets rather than independently verified results.

The system uses a digital twin of a printed circuit board assembly, built from design, component and manufacturing information, as the reference for generating virtual images of correctly assembled boards and potential defects. Nvidia’s Cosmos Data Factory is used to generate synthetic images that can help calibrate inspection systems before physical boards are available.

Under conventional manufacturing processes, introducing a new product or variant often requires a physical prototype before inspection systems can be prepared and trained. The companies’ approach shifts part of that preparation into a virtual environment, potentially reducing the time between product design and production readiness.

Siemens’ Teamcenter software supplies product designs, bills of materials and component data, while Process Preparation X validates and assembles the information into a digital twin. Nvidia’s technology then generates photorealistic representations of circuit boards, including simulated defective conditions, to support inspection preparation.

The workflow also extends to production. When an AOI machine flags a potential defect, an AI-supported secondary inspection capability can help determine whether the alert represents an actual fault or a false positive.

Mark Hindsbo, executive vice-president of operations software at Siemens, said the combination of digital twins and AI could allow manufacturers to introduce production changes more quickly without interrupting manufacturing lines.

Rev Lebaredian, Nvidia’s vice-president of physical AI simulation, said generating synthetic images would allow manufacturers to prepare inspection systems before the first physical circuit board is produced.

The Erlangen factory serves as Siemens’ testing site for adaptive AI-powered production, with the companies aiming to accommodate changes in manufacturing requirements three to five times a week without disruption.

The collaboration forms part of the companies’ work on adaptive and autonomous manufacturing, where digital models and AI systems are used to prepare production processes, support quality control and reduce reliance on manual engineering.

Source: FSX Business News