Why This Matters to Distributors: TD SYNNEX and Siemens are linking information technology distribution with industrial operational technology in a global partnership covering automation, AI, cybersecurity, software, and infrastructure. The agreement could open additional routes to market as manufacturers increasingly connect plant operations with enterprise technology and deploy AI in industrial environments.
TD SYNNEX and Siemens are launching a global distribution partnership aimed at expanding access to industrial artificial intelligence, automation, and related technologies.
The companies announced the agreement on Oct. 5. The partnership will combine Siemens’ industrial technology portfolio and operational technology distribution network with TD SYNNEX’s global information technology distribution business.
The agreement covers industrial automation, software and AI, cybersecurity, intelligent infrastructure, and electrification. Siemens and TD SYNNEX said the partnership is intended to accelerate the convergence of information technology and operational technology, commonly referred to as IT and OT.
The companies also target physical AI, or the application of artificial intelligence to machines, equipment, and other physical systems.
TD SYNNEX operates in more than 100 countries and connects technology suppliers with resellers, systems integrators, software companies, managed service providers, and other technology partners.
The agreement gives Siemens an additional distribution channel for its industrial technologies while potentially giving TD SYNNEX and its partners greater access to industrial customers and applications.
“Bringing IT and OT closer together has never been more important,” said Alastair Borissow, Siemens’ head of global distribution sales.
Siemens said combining the companies’ distribution capabilities could broaden access to their technologies and help the companies reach new customers and additional decisionmakers within existing customers.
For TD SYNNEX, the partnership extends its technology distribution business further into industrial operations.
Cheryl Day, senior vice president of new vendor acquisition and global solutions at TD SYNNEX, said the convergence of information technology and operational technology is creating opportunities for channel partners to connect enterprise systems with technology used in factories, infrastructure, and buildings.
The companies identified industrial AI, automation, cybersecurity, and digital infrastructure as areas of opportunity as businesses increasingly connect equipment and operating systems with enterprise data and software.
Dion Smith, Siemens’ head of global partner ecosystem, said the partnership is intended to create new routes to market and reach additional customers and purchasing organizations.
The agreement comes as manufacturers and other industrial companies explore how AI can be applied beyond standalone software applications and integrated with physical operations.
That shift could broaden opportunities for distributors and technology providers because industrial AI projects can involve combinations of automation equipment, computing infrastructure, software, connectivity, cybersecurity, and data management.
The Siemens agreement also expands TD SYNNEX’s broader push into AI. The distributor has been developing capabilities around emerging AI technologies, including agentic AI, which uses software agents to perform and coordinate tasks with greater autonomy.
The partnership extends that strategy into industrial environments by connecting TD SYNNEX’s technology distribution network with Siemens’ automation, software, and infrastructure portfolio.
The companies did not disclose financial terms or provide a timetable for rolling out the partnership.
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