DASSAULT SYSTÈMES
DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION
“ Although AI was around back then, it wasn’ t practical because the models I was working with were too complex for the computers. But today, if you want to create an object for a specific function, you can tell the computer how to do it in natural language.”
The ability to use AI for software engineering can be likened to building a set of bookshelves, which requires dimensions, sketches, geometric knowledge and more.
“ The job of an engineer has been to translate an object that needs building – often from a customer’ s description of a product – into something that can be built in technical terms,” Gian says.
“ Today, if the CAD technology is really smart, you can design a bookshelf yourself. You don’ t need an expert in computational geometry. This is what we’ ve been building with SOLIDWORKS – we want to be prompt based so users can explain what they want easily.”
DASSAULT SYSTÈMES
HEADQUARTERS: PARIS, FRANCE NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES: 25,000 MARKET CAP: US $ 30.42BN NUMBER OF COUNTRIES: 136
Simulating reality to perfect the physical world SOLIDWORKS is just one of 12 brands at Dassault Systèmes that support industries across the manufacturing, life sciences and healthcare, and cities and infrastructure sectors. Because these fields deal with heavy machinery, buildings and biology, the brand’ s focus has naturally shifted toward Physical AI.
“ We introduced AI many years ago in SOLIDWORKS,” Gian notes.“ But physical AI is an AI that creates models and operates on real things.
“ For example, an autonomous vehicle is operated by AI but it is highly physical because it acquires data from the physical world and puts it into a digital model, which then transfers that knowledge and puts it back into the physical world when the car drives. An autonomous vehicle needs to be in sync with the physical world, to handle unpredictable traffic or malfunctions.”
Gian helps to provide precise simulation software so that vehicles can undergo digital crash tests, enabling manufacturers to accurately predict what will happen in every possible scenario.
“ Digital simulation is fundamental for AI to be operative in the context of the physical world,” Gian highlights.
Simulation technology can also be used in hospitals to understand how the airflow of a HVAC system can contain germs, leading to the correct types of filters being installed, and for manufacturers looking to open a new warehouse, taking into account location for transport routes, stock and geopolitical situations.
126 July 2026