Method for assessing the damage state of an operationally loaded semiconductor assembly, in particular a drive system converter, having at least one semiconductor component arranged on or in a support structure, wherein a temperature (T j) occurring within the semiconductor component is determined in the form of a time series as a high-cycle load-time curve, to which a first damage characteristic value (LC PC) is assigned with the aid of assessment algorithms known per se, and a temperature (Tc) occurring in the support structure is determined in the form of a time series as a low-cyclic load-time curve, to which a second damage characteristic value (LC TC) is assigned with the aid of the assessment algorithms known per se, with the high-cycle load-time curve and the low-cyclic load-time curve being time-varying thermal loads whose oscillation cycles proceed at different rates, with the oscillation cycles of the high-cycle loads proceeding more rapidly than those of the low-cycle loads, characterized in that the first damage characteristic value (LC PC) for identifying a high-cycle actual operating state range of the semiconductor assembly is assigned to a non-critical, a critical and a supercritical operating state range for high-cycle loads on the semiconductor assembly by comparison of the first damage characteristic value (LC PC) with a predetermined first reference value (LC PC,ref) and the second damage characteristic value (LC TC) for identifying a low-cycle actual operating state range of the semiconductor assembly is assigned to a non-critical, a critical and a supercritical operating state range for low-cycle loads of the semiconductor assembly by comparison of the second damage characteristic value (LC TC) with a predetermined second reference value (LC TC,ref), and subsequently a first indication signal is generated if both the high-cycle and the low-cycle actual operating state ranges correspond to a non-critical operating state range, a second indication signal is generated if the high-cycle or the low-cycle actual operating state range corresponds to a critical operating state range and neither corresponds to a supercritical operating state range, and a third indication signal is generated if the high-cycle or the low-cycle actual operating state range corresponds to a supercritical operating state range, wherein -) the time curve of the first reference value (LC PC,ref) and of the second reference value (LC TC,ref) during operation of the semiconductor assembly is in each case a predetermined, monotonically increasing function which assumes the value 1 when the maximum service life is reached, and -) the determination of the first damage characteristic value (LC PC) during operation of the converter is often repeated at predetermined time intervals on the basis of currently determined high-cycle load-time curves and compared with the first reference value (LC PC,ref), and -) the determination of the second damage characteristic value (LC TC) during operation of the converter is often repeated at predetermined time intervals on the basis of currently determined low-cycle load-time curves and compared with the second reference value (LC TC,ref) in order to generate in each case an indication signal for the current load state. -) the time curve of the first reference value (LC PC,ref) and of the second reference value (LC TC,ref) during operation of the semiconductor assembly is in each case a predetermined, monotonically increasing function which assumes the value 1 when the maximum service life is reached, and -) the determination of the first damage characteristic value (LC PC) during operation of the converter is often repeated at predetermined time intervals on the basis of currently determined high-cycle load-time curves and compared with the first reference value (LC PC,ref), and -) the determination of the second damage characteristic value (LC TC) during operation of the converter is often repeated at predetermined time intervals on the basis of currently determined low-cycle load-time curves and compared with the second reference value (LC TC,ref) in order to generate in each case an indication signal for the current load state.