Siemens landed in Amsterdam this year for Realize Live 2025. During the three-day event, one central question is how to remain agile as a company in an increasingly complex world.
For Patrick Fokke, responsible for Siemens Digital Industries Software in the Benelux, the answer is not in technology itself. “We’re not looking for customers. We’re looking for companies that want to solve their problems with us,” he says during a conversation on the sidelines of the event. “It’s easy to talk about digital twins or AI. But it starts with something much simpler: what things in your business aren’t working the way you want them to today?”
Digital Twin without Complex Hassle
On stage, CRO Bob Jones also spoke about the promise of digital twins. Siemens now calls itself “the most complete digital twin in the world,” thanks to dozens of acquisitions and integrations, including software for simulation, electronics and supply chain.
According to Fokke, all this new knowledge is not only reserved for multinationals. “Smaller companies benefit from it,” he explains. “They are more agile, can make decisions faster. If you need to adjust your test environment today, you can already optimize it virtually before you start.”
This vision was also shared on the main stage. “Product lifecycle management is not just about the production process. The most important thing is knowing what needs to happen when it’s available on the market,” was said during the opening keynote. Siemens uses AI suggestions in tools like Teamcenter, so engineers automatically receive insights based on previous projects.
BMW Simulates on GPU, CEAT Makes Tires with AI
During a session by BMW, engineers showed how they accelerate simulations for aerodynamics with GPUs. “We can run a full simulation on a single H100, which previously required thousands of CPU cores,” the speaker explained. Not only does testing become faster, but also cheaper and more energy-efficient.
CEAT, an Indian tire manufacturer, demonstrated how they use Siemens software to simulate tire design and performance in real-time. “For every size, we first build and test physical tires. Now we reuse digital twins with up to 90 percent accuracy,” said their chief designer.
Both examples underscore Fokke’s point: “A digital twin doesn’t have to be science fiction. Start with something familiar, like a machine or a workflow, and build from there.”
Belgium and the Netherlands: the Same Landscape, Different Pace
According to Fokke, digital maturity in Belgium and the Netherlands is not fundamentally different, but the pace is. “In the Netherlands, we often see companies switch faster, experiment faster,” he explains. “In Belgium, decisions are considered more thoroughly, sometimes with a bit more caution. That has advantages, but it shouldn’t take away the momentum.”
Yet he notices that Belgian companies have been catching up in recent years. The urgency around sustainability and digitalization plays a role in this. “Where the Netherlands approaches innovation as something self-evident, we often see the question in Belgium: ‘what does this really bring?’ But once the added value is clear, Belgian customers also resolutely join the story.”
Fokke sees that both markets benefit from this interaction. “Belgium learns from the speed of the Netherlands. The Netherlands learns from the thoroughness of Belgium. And we try to support that balance as Siemens with a tailored approach.”
Not Selling, but (Co-)Building
“We’ve added 150 brand new topics this year, and the majority of the sessions come from users themselves,” said Brenda Discher, head of strategy and marketing, in the opening session.
This underscores Fokke’s vision that Siemens doesn’t want to be a traditional supplier. “We don’t sell licenses, we co-build. And sometimes we also say no. If we feel that a project is too big or too early, we prefer to wait until it works.”
Let’s Dance!
Between sessions, there was room for light-heartedness. During an interactive session, the audience voted on music styles, after which an AI composed a techno beat with guitar riffs live. The song became the unofficial theme of the conference.
That combination of content and atmosphere works. Remarkably many participants were present for the first time. No less than 60 percent, according to Siemens itself. “That says a lot about how our community is growing,” said Discher. “We want to be a place where people learn, but also make connections.”
Progress is the Key to Success
Siemens forms a clear picture of how it wants to make digitalization tangible. No big promises, but small, achievable steps. As Fokke summarizes: “We don’t talk about transformation, we just do it. And that starts with listening to people who say: this isn’t working. Help us solve that.”
After three days, it was clear what progress looks like according to Siemens in practice. With mistakes, opportunities to learn, and sometimes even… an unexpected techno song.
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