Engineering simulation is shifting from a niche validation step to a core part of product development as companies push to reduce physical tests and accelerate design decisions. According to the leadership perspective from ASSESS, simulation adoption will expand upstream into early design stages in 2026, driven by market pressure to deliver better performance with shorter cycles and lower cost, tells Digital Engineering 24/7.
One of the biggest trends is workflow speed. Engineering teams, especially in automotive and complex systems sectors, are prioritizing faster iteration. Automation and AI agents will increasingly handle repetitive tasks such as setup, meshing, and result interpretation. The goal is closer to a “one-button” design-to-analysis flow where geometry, physics, and analysis live in the same interactive environment, letting engineers explore design changes in real time rather than waiting for batch jobs.
AI’s role is growing but cautiously. Organizations experiment with AI models to complement or sometimes replace traditional compute-heavy simulations, especially in CFD and multiphysics. These tools are benchmarked against trusted solvers much like physical test comparisons of the past. Trust remains central because AI models, particularly large language model-based tools, can produce misleading outputs if not validated. Wide adoption will likely follow a staged process where AI supports existing workflows before fully replacing them in risk-averse settings.
Simulation Process and Data Management (SPDM) remains essential. It underpins the digital thread and supports traceability, reuse, and integration with Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE). As simulation outputs grow in number and complexity, having a single source of truth for models and data ensures alignment with product definitions and supports collaboration across teams.
Simulation ecosystems will also be influenced by industry consolidation, creating opportunities for startups and niche players to fill gaps caused by mergers. In combination with broader trends such as PLM integration and AI augmentation, simulation in 2026 is positioned to be faster, more intelligent, and more connected than ever.