In the current surging tide of science and technology, software is reshaping product forms and industrial patterns with unprecedented depth and breadth. "Software-defined products" have become a key trend in the development of industries ranging from automotive to aerospace, from industrial systems to medical devices. The MATLAB EXPO 2025 China User Conference is undoubtedly the most iconic event in this great transformation.
The conference adopted the "Twin Cities Linkage" model, which kicked off in Shanghai on May 20 and Beijing on May 27, with an eight-day event, including more than 50 technical speeches, covering data processing and artificial intelligence, electrification, wireless communication and electronic system design, the automotive industry, as well as modeling, simulation, Emerging trends such as testing and implementation and advanced MATLAB and Simulink applications. This is not only a feast of technology, but also a super hub for industry exchange and innovation.
Pictured: MATLAB EXPO 2025: 50 Informative Talks Highlight the Shift Towards "Software-Defined Products
From a macro perspective, according to relevant industry reports, the global software-defined market will reach $120 billion in 2023 and is expected to exceed $150 billion in 2025, with an average annual compound growth rate of more than 10%. Behind this huge market is the huge demand for digital transformation of enterprises and the relentless pursuit of innovative product design. As powerful mathematical calculation and simulation tools, MATLAB and Simulink are becoming powerful assistants for many enterprises to overcome technical problems and accelerate product iteration.
In the keynote session, Arun Mulpur, Global Industry Director at MathWorks, delivered an impressive presentation on "From Embedded to Enabled: The Rise of Software-Defined Products". He pointed out that the wave of transformation of software-defined products is not limited to the automotive field, but has penetrated into many key industries. In the aerospace case, Airbus has shortened its aircraft design cycle by about 20 percent and reduced its R&D costs by about 15 percent by introducing MATLAB and Simulink. This dual optimization of efficiency and cost highlights the centrality of software tools in product development. Arun Mulpur further emphasized that if companies want to stand out in a highly competitive market, they must use tools such as MATLAB and Simulink to innovate their development processes and upgrade their teamwork.
In the field of new energy, Dr. Wu Zhikang, director of the Green Energy Institute of Midea Industrial Technology Research Institute, shared a speech on "Application Practice of Model-based Design in the Field of New Energy - Promising in the Field of Power Generation", which brought very enlightening cases. He introduced that the new energy industry is facing the dual challenges of rapid iteration and strict quality requirements, and through the model-based development method and the use of MATLAB/Simulink tool chain, Midea has improved the development efficiency of new energy power generation products by 30% and the product reliability by 25%. For example, in the design of photovoltaic inverters, with the help of MATLAB's simulation capabilities, the team was able to identify potential failure points in advance and optimize the control algorithm, greatly reducing the number and cost of physical tests.
The speech "Research and Product Development of Grid-based Energy Storage Technology Based on Simulink" in Beijing was also eye-catching. Qiao Yuan, Deputy Chief Engineer of Goldwind Zero Carbon, elaborated on how to use Simulink's automatic code generation function to build a multi-terminal software integration process. In a large-scale energy storage project, this process shortened the cycle from R&D to application by 40%, significantly improving the speed of market response. This technological breakthrough not only accelerates the commercialization of energy storage technology, but also provides strong support for the construction of a new power system.
Starting from the dimension of talent training and educational value, the conference specially set up a special session for technical exchange and computer practice for education users. Currently, more than 3,000 universities around the world use MATLAB and Simulink for teaching and research, and in China alone, this number exceeds 300. In the context of the Ministry of Education's active promotion of virtual teaching, Zhang Le, director of education business at MathWorks China, said that he will cooperate with more universities to build virtual laboratories to help cultivate high-quality talents who can meet the needs of future industries.
In the technology exhibition area, the modeling and control case of low-cost balanced twincopter attracted a lot of attention. The Arduino-based aviation mechatronics system realizes accurate flight control through the system identification and control design functions of MATLAB. The use of Simscape Multibody's models in desktop simulations allows attendees to experience the seamless integration of virtual simulation with real-world operation. In addition, the LLM-based intelligent assistant demonstration is even more eye-catching, and the comprehensive support of MATLAB and Simulink in the design and development of intelligent applications demonstrates their strong potential in the field of artificial intelligence.
Overall, MATLAB EXPO 2025 China is not only a technology event, but also a key force for industry change. It has built a high-quality platform for in-depth communication and cooperation among engineers, researchers, scientists and educators, and promoted the in-depth integration of industry, university and research. In the era of "software-defined products", this conference is like a lighthouse, illuminating the way forward, indicating that more innovations and breakthroughs will be born in this dynamic field. In the future, with the continuous evolution of technology and the continuous expansion of applications, we have reason to believe that MATLAB and Simulink will play a more critical role in shaping the future of the industry and inject a steady stream of impetus into the development of global science and technology.
