Siemens has released Totally Integrated Automation (TIA) Portal V21. The release is aimed at both machine builders developing innovative machines based on an efficient engineering workflow and discrete manufacturing companies aiming to ensure more powerful and reliable production.

The TIA Portal V21 accelerating the transition to software-defined automation. Git-based CI workflows shorten development cycles, while high-availability SCADA architectures ensure that our customers can keep their plants running more efficiently and adapt them flexibly to new market requirements.
Greater efficiency in engineering through improved and integrated workflows
TIA Portal V21 focuses on higher engineering efficiency and end-to-end standardization. A new export format enables seamless integration of established version control systems such as Git for the first time. This applies to LAD, FBD, SCL, data blocks, PLC data types and mixed-language blocks and many others. This enables STEP 7 users to benefit from optimized continuous-integration workflows, simplified versioning and maximum compatibility. All of this forms the basis for shorter project runtimes and reliable traceability of all changes.
Higher availability thanks to SCADA architecture
Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) applications based on WinCC Unified can now be operated in redundant server architectures that ensure continuous operation and significantly higher availability. In addition, the WinCC Unified Data Hub, acting as a central archive, provides access to and long-term storage of production data, messages and audit trails from multiple WinCC Unified PC runtimes, helping to create continuous, plant-wide data transparency over long periods of time.

3rd Party Version Control Software Support Improvements
Support for 3rd party ‘Modern’ software version control software has been strengthened. For those of you who use GIT Hub or similar for your version control, this is a great upgrade. The key enabling feature is called “SIMATIC Source Documents’, and the exported and subsequently imported files now consist of human readable code, not simply slugs of binary that was once the case. Get in touch with our team for details on this, if you use or are considering using such external version control system for your Siemens Industrial Automation code.
Avoid Data Block Re-Initialisation for Structural Changes
NOTE: This feature requires both TIA-V21, and Siemens PLCs running Firmware Version 4.1.
As many of you will know, changing the structure of data blocks (e.g. add or remove variables) in the past has invariably meant that the system re-initialises all values back to default. Obviously this means extra care, attention, and typically stopping your machine or process is required.
In TIAV21, with PLCs running Firmware version 4.1 one can avoid this re-initialising in many cases. Particularly when adding or deleting elementary data types. As many of our readers here will attest to, this will be super helpful.
Multiuser Enhancements
Totally Integrated Automation Portal has Multiuser capabilities as many of you know, and some of you use. The innovation in V21 is removing the need to “Synchronise the PLC after a Multiuser Check-in and refresh from the project server”. A lovely time saver.
Motion Control – Multicore Support
For motion control technology objects, one can now spread the load over more cores of Siemens’ newer Multicore PLCs. With the option “Improve System Performance” checked within a technology object OB, the controller will share the processing load over two of the four cores rather than it all staying on the one core as previously. This can reduce technology object processing time by up to 30%.
Motion Control – Enhanced Technology Object Tracing
Tracing has been enhanced in TIAV21 for motion control technology objects, bringing it more in line with the exceedingly powerful trace functions available with Simotion Scout. The additional trace functionality will give users more meaningful insight into Technology Object (TO) behaviour for system understanding and debugging.
SINAMICS Start Drive V21 Highlights
New hardware support, as well as engineering efficiency improvements are the core here:
1. Support for the new control unit for the S220 range (Eventual successor to S120), this S220 control unit is know as the CU320-3. Look out for our coming blog post with additional information on the CU320-3, which is being released with several other S220 innovations at the SPS trade fair in Nuremberg, November 25th until 27th 2025.
2. Extended drive compare function, for up to 5 drive objects at one.
3. Mass firmware upgrade for multiple drives.
4. Configure traces directly on next generation Siemens Sinamics drives.
5. Direct support for R/H Systems. This permits configuring drives in S2 redundancy connected to S7-1500R (redundant) or S71500H (High availability) using Sinamics Start Drive.