Volkswagen has selected Dassault Systèmes’ AI-powered 3DEXPERIENCE platform as its primary engineering and manufacturing system. The move aims to drive software-defined vehicle innovation, enhance efficiency and unify fragmented processes across the group.
Volkswagen Group is advancing its shift towards software-defined vehicles by adopting Dassault Systèmes’ 3DEXPERIENCE platform as its core engineering and manufacturing system. The long-term partnership, announced by Dassault on Tuesday, will bring Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche onto a unified, AI-powered cloud-based environment to streamline operations and accelerate development.
Sabine Scheunert, Managing Director EUROCENTRAL and Advisory Board Member at Volkswagen Group, highlighted the broader strategic implications of this partnership, in a recent LinkedIn post: “By implementing the 3DEXPERIENCE platform fully on the cloud, Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche will harness the power of AI-driven virtual twins to accelerate innovation, streamline processes, and bring cutting-edge vehicles to life—before a single part is physically built.”
Volkswagen’s shift in this direction is another signal the increased integrating of AI and AI-driven digital twins into vehicle design and production. The 3D UNIV+RSES knowledge platform, an integral part of this collaboration, aims to enhance efficiency, regulatory compliance, and sustainability.
”With AI-driven solutions and seamless data integration, we are creating a true technological leap for development and factory planning, reducing IT complexity and costs while accelerating processes”
- Hauke Stars, Board Member for IT at Volkswagen Group
“Volkswagen selected us to standardise engineering and manufacturing for the entire group to accelerate time to market and the transition to software-defined vehicles,” said Dassault’s finance chief, Rouven Bergmann. The agreement further strengthens Dassault’s foothold in the automotive sector. The company already supplies its platform to BMW, but the Volkswagen contract marks a significant expansion into Germany, where Dassault’s influence had been limited.
“This will accelerate the penetration of the auto supply chain, especially now that the sector is under pressure,” Bergmann noted. He highlighted that the recurring nature of Dassault’s subscription contracts presents further opportunities for long-term growth.
Cutting costs and complexity with AI-driven solutions
The contract is structured as a full-subscription, recurring cloud-based deal with an initial term of seven years and an optional ten-year extension. While Dassault did not disclose the deal’s financial value, Bergmann stated that the agreement holds potential for additional value creation.
Hauke Stars, Board Member for IT at Volkswagen Group, commented on the transformative impact of the partnership. “This partnership represents a major step in advancing Volkswagen Group’s next-generation IT system landscape. With AI-driven solutions and seamless data integration, we are creating a true technological leap for development and factory planning, reducing IT complexity and costs while accelerating processes.”
While the financial impact on Dassault’s fourth-quarter results, also released on Tuesday, was described as “marginal,” Bergmann emphasised the long-term significance of the agreement.
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The announcement follows Volkswagen’s broader strategy to integrate digital tools and AI to optimise its development cycles and improve regulatory compliance. The 3DEXPERIENCE platform will serve as the foundation for these efforts, consolidating the group’s disparate engineering and manufacturing systems into a single, collaborative environment.
With over 40 years of collaboration between Volkswagen and Dassault, the deal represents an evolution in their partnership, aligning Volkswagen’s software-driven ambitions with Dassault’s expertise in AI-powered virtual twin technology. The move underscores the increasing role of cloud-based platforms in automotive R&D as manufacturers race to develop smarter, more efficient vehicles.
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