India one of our fastest-growing markets: Siemens MD & CEO Sunil Mathur

Siemens Limited MD Sunil Mathur spoke about AI adoption, opportunities in India's data centre market, and the outlook for industrial technology

As India aims to focus on digital infrastructure and manufacturing, technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) are expected to increasingly be integrated into industrial operations. In an interaction with Prachi Pisal in Mumbai on the sidelines of Transform – Siemens Innovation Day 2026, Sunil Mathur, managing director (MD) and chief executive officer (CEO), Siemens Limited, spoke about AI adoption, opportunities in India’s data centre market, and the outlook for industrial technology. Edited excerpts:

 

How is Siemens integrating AI across its operations and in its overall business? 

 

We are using AI in the data centre, and it is also effective in manufacturing. For India, AI is critical in energy, and India's energy requirement is increasing. It's going to be used in manufacturing, and India's manufacturing requirements will increase. Siemens has got AI very clearly because we understand how a lot of the processes work across sectors, including aerospace, defence, pharmaceuticals, cement and steel, among others.

 

We are able to bring in our AI understanding as a back-end to everything that we offer the customers.

 

You have partnered Nvidia and recently expanded that collaboration. Should we expect more such partnerships, going forward? If so, which areas are likely to be the focus?

 

We already have a lot of partnerships, including with Nvidia. So, we will continue to partner with an ecosystem and create an ecosystem. We already have a whole lot of partners on the accelerator platforms. We will continue to expand that base. It makes sense to enter into creating ecosystems. No individual or an individual company can do everything. 

 

Creating an ecosystem is important. That’s because, for customers, problem-solving is important. If one does it on their own, that's fine. But if they have to do it with an ecosystem of partners, that's even better. And that's what we are doing.

 

What are your views on physical AI? Where does India currently stand, and what is your outlook for the segment, going forward?

 

It will come. But we have to take one step after the other. We still haven't adopted AI. We are not natural adopters of AI yet. We are still doing complex manufacturing. 

 

Many large companies are using AI, including physical AI. But we are not yet at a stage where one can say that we are slowly adopters of it. We are some time out.

 

How big is the data centre opportunity for Siemens? 

 

It's huge. India is at 1.5 gigawatts (Gw) of data centre capacity and plans to get to 8 Gw. That's a huge opportunity for Siemens. Europe is 55 Gw with 350 million people. Maybe, we should be more aspirational and look at 40 to 50 Gw over a period of time. 

 

Data centres are an area that we have real experience in. When hyperscalers and other developers come, we are available there with our technology to offer them an end-to-end solution. 

 

Are you observing any shift in hiring at Siemens amid AI?

 

No, not yet, because we are looking at doing more with the same number of people. It reduces, maybe the rate of hiring, but we continue and will continue to hire. 

 

A lot of it will change from the kind of people that we hire. We may hire more data scientists, for example, rather than pure breed engineers, because the engineering work may go to AI largely. But then, we will need more data scientists to deal with AI. It'll be a shift, but I don't think we will slow down on our hiring. 

 

With the global trade and economy evolving rapidly, how is Siemens India navigating these changes? What is the outlook for the company’s export business?

 

We have the privilege of being in India, which is, geopolitically, probably one of the most stable countries in the world. For Siemens, India is the fourth largest country in the world and the fastest growing as well. Therefore, we have our hands full and already looking at the opportunities here in the country. 

 

On the export side, the European Union (EU)-India free trade agreement (FTA) is an opener. We feed a lot of what we export into the parent company. That makes it naturally more attractive to the parent company, making it easier for us to do business with the parent company. The FTAs that India has signed with many countries only facilitate export opportunities for us.

 

How do you assess the outlook for private capex in India, particularly in the context of AI? How are Indian businesses approaching AI adoption?

 

The Indian private sector will set up new factories because of the demand. The demand comes from greater consumption, which has come from goods and services tax (GST) reduction, and income tax rate revision, among others.

 

That's why we hope that consumption goes up. With that, the demand goes up for the factories. We help them as they add factories and try to make factories more flexible and sustainable. One of the tools we will use will definitely be AI. 

 

How far have we come in the buildings and infrastructure segment, and what is your outlook for this space?

 

There are factors like energy efficiency, fire safety, and security requirements involved in buildings. 70 per cent of the buildings in India are still to be constructed. That is a huge opportunity. They will all need efficient energy, fire safety, and security systems. We are present in that area. 

 

In the context of your order book, are you seeing any shift in the type of orders you receive amid the growing AI boom?

 

I don’t think I can link an order directly to AI. The conversation that we have with the customer is about how we, as a technology company, can help them navigate the challenges that they are facing.

 

If the customer says, “Can you help me produce more with less?” the answer is yes, I can help you do that. And I will use my AI know-how to enable it. No customer is asking us to sell AI to them.

 

What is your view on the role of industrial AI in manufacturing?

 

It will be a part of that manufacturing process. It will have to come in because that is what will make customers competitive.