Altair of Troy, a global provider of computational science and artificial intelligence (AI), has released results from an independent survey that reveals a high adoption of digital twin technology by the automotive industry.
A digital twin is a virtual model designed to accurately reflect a physical object.
The recent global survey of more than 2,000 professionals throughout several industries and across 10 countries gauged digital twin technology adoption and assessed its benefits, sustainability, and how organizations are using it.
“Between consumer demand, government expectations, and global emissions targets, the race is on for automakers to keep EV production on track,” says Royston Jones, senior vice president of automotive at Altair.
“This report’s findings show the importance of digital twin technology in achieving those goals. While many have already adopted this technology into their processes, there is still tremendous room for education on the benefits that will lead to a rapid expansion of its use across the industry and beyond.”
The survey’s data suggests that among all 11 industries surveyed, the automotive industry is the second leading adopter of digital twin technology behind the heavy equipment sector. Yet, while 76 percent of automotive respondents said their companies have already adopted digital twin technology, automotive users appear to be at the early stages of adoption and are curious about its benefits.
Just 35 percent of respondents consider themselves to be “highly knowledgeable about digital twin solutions,” the second lowest percentage out of all industries surveyed.
In addition, the survey shows nearly 92 percent of automotive respondents who report using digital twin technology said it has helped them create more sustainable products and processes, while automotive was the most likely sector (63 percent) to be using digital twin technologies to reach sustainability objectives.
Digital twin solutions reduce material waste by allowing engineers to run simulations during the design process, and test functions before going to prototype, which reduces the number of physical prototypes needed.
The shift to electric vehicles (EVs) is driving the automotive industry’s rapid transformation. Consumer interest and demand for EVs are growing slowly, while the U.S. government is enacting stricter regulations to incentivize automakers to move away from traditional internal combustion engine vehicles. Digital twin technology can help the automotive industry bring more EVs to market faster at an affordable price.
More key findings from the survey show that nearly all respondents (97 percent) said digital twin solutions better inform the development of new products. And importantly, 70 percent of those who are using digital twin solutions reported it has significantly reduced maintenance and warranty costs.
The survey also suggested that the automotive industry was the most likely to predict that digital twin solutions will improve the quality of products produced in the future (50 percent). In turn, 38 percent of automotive respondents said they believe digital twin technology will make physical prototyping obsolete within the next four years or sooner.
Additionally, the survey reported that 92 percent of automotive respondents said that digital twin technology has helped their organizations create more sustainable products and processes. And 63 percent are using digital twin solutions to reach their sustainability objectives and find it makes their products and services easier to refurbish and/or reuse (51 percent).
Furthermore, 78 percent of respondents said the technology helps their organization by generating energy savings and/or enabling the efficient use of resources.
While the data shows that digital twin technology is widely adopted within the automotive industry, however, there is also room for growth and a desire for more education.
Of respondents whose organizations don’t currently use digital twin solutions, 22 percent expect they will do so in the next six months or less, and 33 percent expect it in a year or more.
Also, 92 percent of non-senior leadership employees said they thought their leadership would be more likely to invest in digital twin technology if they better understood its benefits.
