As part of our “what’s next for simulation” theme in the January 2021 issue of Benchmark, we asked the software vendors for their own takes. Ansys put it well when they described the simulation industry as standing at a "transformational inflection point". At the time, software vendors were grappling with a landscape of increasing technical complexity and a shift toward electrification and autonomous mobility. Looking back, it is clear that the ambitious visions then - of digital twins, pervasive AI, and the democratization of simulation - have moved from the experimental frontier to the core of modern engineering.

This article appeared in the January 2026 Issue of BENCHMARK.