GM says AI and virtual testing could cut car development to two years

In short: General Motors says it is using AI and virtual engineering to try to cut vehicle development time from four to five years to about two.

What's going on

General Motors, or GM, says it wants to design and launch new vehicles faster, in part to keep up with Chinese automakers that release new models and features quickly. Today, developing a vehicle often takes four to five years.

GM says it is leaning more on artificial intelligence, or AI (software that finds patterns and makes suggestions, a bit like a very fast assistant), and on “virtual engineering.” That means using computer models to design, simulate, and test parts before building them in the real world, like trying out many versions of a product in a video game before making the first physical one.

The company says this work is meant to replace a slow, step-by-step process where one team hands work to the next. Instead, design, simulation, and testing can happen in parallel. GM said its engineers virtually evaluated more than 300,000 designs for a new lithium-manganese-rich battery before building a physical prototype. GM also said the team moved from its first battery-pack concept to formal approval in about a month.

GM is also using decades of engineering and factory records to build digital models of vehicles and factories. The idea is to test changes on-screen first, then apply the best options on the factory floor.

What to watch

GM’s two-year timeline is a goal, not a promise, and the company has not said when it expects to reach it. A key question is whether virtual testing will translate into real-world reliability, cost savings, and faster launches at scale.

Source: NYTimes