Siemens Partners with Minima to Integrate Blockchain in Industrial Devices

Siemens, a leading industrial technology company, has announced a strategic partnership with Minima, a pioneer in iot blockchain technology. This collaboration aims to integrate blockchain capabilities into Siemens' devices across various sectors, including automotive, robotics, and energy. The initiative is spearheaded by Siemens Cre8Ventures, a division dedicated to accelerating industrial transformation through collaborations with startups in fields such as AI, digital twins, and cybersecurity.

The partnership underscores the growing importance of edge computing, where security and data integrity are paramount. As computing capabilities evolve towards the edges of networks, there is an increasing need for these edge devices to have embedded security and data integrity features. IoT-level blockchains are particularly useful in this context, ensuring that data remains secure and intact as it is processed at the edge.

Minima's CEO, Hugo Feiler, highlighted the shift in perception of blockchain technology, which was initially seen as antithetical to large enterprises due to its decentralized nature. However, as power shifts to the edge, even large enterprises need to ensure resilience and decentralization in their systems. This partnership with Siemens allows Minima to further its goals of enabling large enterprise companies to run decentralized systems, thereby enhancing their ability to deliver services globally.

Minima's collaboration with Siemens follows its earlier partnership with semiconductor giant ARM to develop a microchip with an embedded decentralized ledger. This partnership aligns with the EU Chips Act, introduced in 2022 to reduce reliance on foreign chip manufacturers. By enabling IoT equipment to run a full node, Minima ensures that these devices can independently participate in a blockchain network without relying on external servers or centralized intermediaries. This eliminates central points of failure and ensures fully decentralized security, data integrity, and trustless verification.

The collaboration between Siemens and Minima brings groundbreaking AI capabilities, data integrity, and decentralized trust mechanisms to the Siemens Cre8Ventures Digital Twin Marketplace. This integration is expected to enhance the security and efficiency of Siemens' devices, paving the way for more innovative solutions in the industrial sector. The partnership represents a significant step forward in the adoption of blockchain technology in industrial applications, demonstrating the potential for decentralized systems to drive innovation and resilience in large enterprises.