Siemens USA CEO Barbara Humpton wants to see the United States get a high-tech infrastructure upgrade, she said in an interview with Yahoo Finance.
“While there are people working on concrete and asphalt, a lot of us are working on data,” said Humpton. “Communities all across the country now are able to find ways to improve their digital infrastructure, get more connected across their communities, make better working and living environments for their citizens.”
Humpton said the government needs to get more involved as “cities across the country are really investing in electric infrastructure for charging vehicles. As buses and cars and, frankly, eventually even aircraft come online with electric, we're going to need a deeper, more powerful charging infrastructure.
According to Humpton, Siemens USA is working on developing an electric infrastructure and bringing onto the grid more forms of renewable power. The firm announced plans to spin off its energy division and merge it with separately listed wind turbine supplier Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy.
Siemens intends to “intensify” its presence in areas such as electric-mobility infrastructure, distributed energy systems, smart buildings and energy storage — while hiring 18,000 people in the two divisions over the next few years.
Siemens will contribute its full stake in Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy to the new energy company, which is expected to get its own stock listing by September 2020.
In addition, the firm is expanding into the wireless broadband and mobility services sector. Earlier this month, the firm partnered with Amdocs to enable mission-critical networks to leverage shared Citizens Broadband Radio Service spectrum.