FRANKFURT, May 12 (Reuters) - Siemens Energy will accelerate its standing share buyback programme after posting a 42% increase in pre-tax free cash flow, the company said on Tuesday, benefitting from demand for data centres to power artificial intelligence technology.

The company, which released preliminary results last month alongside a raised outlook for the current fiscal year, said it would buy back up to 3 billion euros worth of stock in 2026, up from 2 billion planned so far for the current fiscal year.

The overall size of the 6 billion euro buyback, announced in November, remains unchanged.