The Evolving World of Simulation- When, How, How Much, and If

4-minute read

Many great innovations emerge from wars and other existential threats, why exactly that is is complicated, but perhaps at a simplified level, it’s something to do with the fact that when it comes to eliminating real threat to life, there is no cost too great. Computer simulation is one such innovation that found in war an accelerant.

During the Second World War and following a course in wartime electronics, physicist John Mauchly wrote a memo proposing an all-electronic calculating machine, and that’s how ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer), the first general-purpose electronic digital computer, was born. Shortly after that came the first Monte Carlo simulation during the development of atomic weapons, largely motivated by the scarcity of materials and attempts to understand what were, at the time, very new physics problems. Today, some eighty years since that initial foray into the brave new world of simulation, a lot has changed, but what remains is our need to predict possible outcomes of uncertain events.

Ultimately, simulation is about making a decision, the right decision. Deciding when, how, how much, if. Eighty years ago, simulation was about processing a lot of data as quickly as possible; today, simulation is the closest thing you’ll get to time and multidimensional travel. Not you, obviously, you’re staying right here, but your product, your design, your workflow, you can simulate their future and understand what you need to do now for the best future outcomes.

In the wake of the existential threat that was the COVID-19 pandemic, there are many lessons to learn. The need to invest in preparedness is one of those lessons, and it goes hand in hand with the need for business agility. Neither of those things is possible without doing the nearest thing to looking into a crystal ball: simulation. With access to far greater computing power than ever before, nowadays, running simulations represents not only time and cost savings but also an opportunity to experiment and innovate, to be prepared for an ever-greater range of variables, and to be able to respond quickly.

To give you an idea of how to get where you need to be, industry analyst Monica Schnitger sat down with us for the webinar ‘The Evolving World of Simulation’ and shared her perspective with us. Monica has been developing forecasts, market models and statistics for various engineering and business sectors for over twenty years, and it’s this vast amount of experience and knowledge that she brings to the webinar. What you get is an invaluable insight into where simulation has been, where it is now, and how it’s changing. Most importantly, you get an opportunity to see how you can keep up with the changes.

Everything from MBSE and digital twins to new technology and new applications of existing technologies and tools and the personnel using them, Monica delivers a sharp take on what’s going on now and how to be prepared for the possible outcomes of uncertain events if you don’t want to get –in more ways than one– stuck.

Watch the webinar for free