This complexity in engineered systems poses significant challenges and opportunities for organizations. As Reni Raju, Strategic Partnerships Director for Ansys, said in an interview, "Functional safety and cybersecurity are integral to addressing the needs associated with regulatory compliance, ensuring a well-defined mode of operation in an evolving landscape of software-defined vehicles.” The increasing demand for new capabilities in various markets, including the military, is accelerating, urging organizations to adapt rapidly. This scenario places enormous pressure on enterprises to not only keep pace with technological advancements but also to revolutionize their approach to system design, development, testing, and maintenance. The imperative to stay ahead in an increasingly competitive and fast-paced environment necessitates a fundamental shift in strategy and operations, especially in the face of complex, interconnected systems that could potentially prolong development timelines and schedules.
Addressing these challenges, Matt Ladzinski, Industry Marketing Director, A&D, who recently gave a NAFEMS presentation on the topic focused on the critical response organizations must adopt: the embrace of digital engineering. He emphasized the concept of digital engineering, exploring its significance in the current technological era. It aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the digital engineering ecosystem and stresses the importance of an open environment for organizations. Such an approach is essential for sustaining scalability, flexibility, and agility in product development, enabling enterprises to harness the latest advancements and maintain a competitive edge in the face of rapidly evolving technological landscapes and market demands.
In a recent interview, Ladzinski shed light on the pivotal role of multiphysics simulation in harmonizing intersecting technologies within complex engineering systems. He emphasized the rapid pace at which the industry is evolving, driven by a surge in intelligent, connected, and complex technologies. According to Ladzinski, "Everything's becoming intelligent, more connected, complex." He elaborated on how enterprises over the last five decades have strived to adapt to these changes. The key lies in connecting data and models to manage the increasing data structures, volume, decision-making layers, and, most importantly, complexity. This necessity is what's fueling the digital engineering ecosystem.
"Digital engineering plays a critical role in understanding multiphysics in the context of complex engineered systems, while solving multi-domain problems necessitates a shift toward a system or system of systems-level approach," Raju added.
Ladzinski further explained the convergence of hardware and software at the cyber-physical system level. He pointed out the critical need for continuous verification and validation enabled through digital engineering, which enterprises now seek to expedite product market launches while ensuring safety compliance. The role of multiphysics is not just about the hardware aspect but also the integration of software applications and their relevance. This intersection requires a holistic cyber-physical approach, underscoring the importance of understanding how these two worlds coalesce to propel enterprises forward in this rapidly changing technological landscape.
In addressing the challenge of balancing speed in development and deployment with the integration and reliability of systems, Ladzinski highlighted the critical role of digital engineering. He stressed the importance of understanding multiphysics in the context of complex engineered systems, emphasizing that solving multidomain problems necessitates a shift towards a system or system of systems level approach. This shift, he noted, is accelerated through the integration and automation of digital engineering outcomes.
Ladzinski used the example of electrification in the automotive industry to illustrate the point. In that context, while traditional multiphysics questions might focus on cooling, durability, and vehicle handling, customers are more concerned with aspects like range and acceleration for understanding vehicle performance levels. Ladzinski pointed out that while multiphysics can provide some confidence in decision-making, it is the integration of various elements that yields deeper insights, extending beyond engineering silos into business decision-making.
"This doesn't diminish the importance of multiphysics,” Ladzinski said. “It’s basically saying this is just part of our holistic understanding, so you can really understand true performance,” reiterating the necessity of a comprehensive digital engineering perspective.
In discussing the concept of an open environment in digital engineering, Ladzinski emphasized its significance in enhancing the flexibility and innovation capabilities of enterprises. He described an open ecosystem as one that supports a heterogeneous mix of software and data models, primarily to foster cross-domain interoperability. This approach, he explained, is crucial for granting customers access to the latest technologies, both commercial and non-commercial. More importantly, it leverages expertise that significantly enhances the value of digital engineering, leading to scalability, flexibility, and agility.
Ladzinski further elaborated on the necessity for organizations to adapt quickly to changing conditions, which is essential in both competitive marketplaces and defense sectors. He highlighted that an open environment allows enterprises to escape the constraints of vendor lock-in, thereby enabling them to scale and evolve with the rapidly changing technological landscape. He drew attention to the rapid advancement in automotive technology, noting the exponential increase in the lines of code in modern vehicles and the expected growth by 2025. This advancement underscores the importance of an open environment in managing and coordinating actions across various domains, like aerospace and defense. In such a scenario, the ability to share data across a seamless environment and control access to it becomes vital. Ladzinski’s insights provide a clear understanding of the role of an open digital engineering ecosystem in meeting the current and future demands of efficiency and functionality in engineering systems.
Ladzinski also emphasized the transformative aspects of digital engineering, underscoring its significance beyond mere technological advancements. He advocated for a comprehensive view of the digital engineering maturity journey, encompassing people, technology, processes, and infrastructure. He stressed the importance of a multidisciplinary approach to tackle system-level complexity and advocated for a model-analyze-build methodology. This approach, he suggested, is crucial for ensuring traceability, maintainability, and interoperability across various systems, which are indispensable for the success of digital engineering initiatives.
There are broader implications of digital engineering, particularly in the realms of sustainability and environmental responsibility. Ladzinski mentioned the importance of understanding and mitigating the climate change and the related embodied carbon in engineering projects, as well as the necessity of identifying hazardous or restricted materials and promoting ethical sourcing and recyclability. This holistic view of digital engineering underscores its role not only in advancing technology and reducing costs but also in contributing to more sustainable and ethical engineering practices. The perspective highlights the multifaceted impact of digital engineering on both the industry and the global environment.