Dassault Systems’ SOLIDWORKS is bringing AI to Malaysia through SOLIDWORKS Design 2027, the release that includes SOLIDWORKS AI – Industrial AI built for the manufacturing industry. SOLIDWORKS AI is embedded directly into everyday design and engineering workflows to help manufacturers turn accumulated engineering knowledge into new capabilities and products. SOLIDWORKS AI became globally available in July 2026.
Its introduction in Malaysia comes at a time when the country’s electrical and electronics (E&E) and semiconductor industries — long-standing drivers of economic growth — are under pressure to strengthen their technological capabilities, innovate and move towards higher-value manufacturing.
As Malaysia accelerates its adoption of artificial intelligence (AI), the next challenge for manufacturers is to move beyond basic applications and make AI a meaningful part of industrial innovation.
While AI adoption is gaining momentum, layering standalone AI tools alongside existing processes does not necessarily translate into greater engineering capability. Industrial AI offers a different approach by building intelligence into the actual work of designing and developing products, where engineering expertise, precision and complex decision-making are central to innovation.
SOLIDWORKS AI is built into SOLIDWORKS Design 2027, so it works inside the design environment engineers already use. It can support the design process and propose solutions while leaving engineers in control of validation and final decisions. As the intelligence is part of the platform, manufacturers can apply advanced capabilities without having to build new workflows from the ground up.
Beyond productivity, one of the most significant opportunities lies in preserving and making accessible the engineering knowledge that companies have accumulated over decades. Much of this expertise resides in the experience, judgement and working practices of individual engineers, rather than in formal documentation. As experienced engineers leave and teams evolve, companies risk losing valuable knowledge that is difficult to replace.
By embedding AI within the design environment, SOLIDWORKS aims to help manufacturers retain, access and build on this accumulated know-how. This can provide engineers with greater access to existing knowledge and support the development of new designs, products and engineering capabilities, allowing companies to build on what they already know rather than repeatedly starting from scratch.
This is particularly relevant to Malaysia’s small and medium enterprises (SMEs), which play an important role in the country’s manufacturing ecosystem. For many SMEs, adopting advanced AI can be challenging when it involves additional infrastructure, specialist expertise and investment. By bringing Industrial AI into an established engineering platform, SOLIDWORKS offers a more accessible pathway for companies of different sizes to apply AI directly within the SOLIDWORKS design environment they already use, helping to make advanced engineering capabilities available beyond large manufacturers.
For Malaysia’s E&E and semiconductor industries, this could support a broader shift from manufacturing products designed elsewhere towards developing more locally engineered products, technologies and intellectual property for domestic and international markets. It also provides an opportunity for smaller manufacturers to build on their existing engineering strengths and participate in higher-value activities across the supply chain.
The introduction of SOLIDWORKS AI aligns with Malaysia’s broader ambition to strengthen industrial competitiveness and advance higher-value manufacturing. Through initiatives such as the National AI Action Plan 2026-2030 and the New Industrial Master Plan (NIMP) 2030, the country is seeking to accelerate AI adoption and deepen its technological capabilities. Embedding AI into engineering workflows offers manufacturers a way to connect these national ambitions with the practical work of designing, developing and producing new products.
“AI adoption is moving quickly to bring AI into the engineering process itself, where it can work alongside engineers, help preserve decades of knowledge and make advanced capabilities more accessible to companies of different sizes,” said Manish Kumar, Chief Executive Officer, SOLIDWORKS. “For Malaysia, particularly its E&E and semiconductor industries, this can help strengthen local engineering capabilities and support the development of homegrown products and technologies for both Malaysian and global markets.”