Shifting to software to secure sustainability

On the 10th October 2024, I had the opportunity to visit the MATLAB Expo and speak to to Tany Morton and Jos Martin from MathWorks about what software-defined systems are and how embedding software into hardware improves the drive toward sustainability.

Tanya Morton (L), Worldwide Director of Customer Success, MathWorks, and Jos Martin (R), Director of Engineering, MathWorks.

By embedding software into hardware, engineers are able to create opportunities to design more efficient and adaptable systems that help to reduce emissions, improve energy use, and optimise resources. Embedding software is a move that can enhance product innovation and drive sustainability.

Sustainability through software tools

MathWorks, a notable figure in the push towards software-defined systems, is helping companies integrate sustainability into their development processes through its MATLAB and Simulink tools. These tools give engineers the capability to simulate complex systems, enabling them to test and validate their products without the need for physical prototypes.

Talking about how these tools have been used for decades in energy efficiency projects, whilst visiting the MathWorks MATLAB Expo day at Silverstone, I spoke to Tanya Morton, Global Director of Customer Success, who told me: “My very first project I worked on was energy efficiency of an internal combustion engine. [MathWorks] tools have been used for decades for sustainability, but it’s only recently that we started telling this broader story.”

The capacity to simulate and model various aspects of product development is an integral part in helping engineers to reduce waste and resource consumption.

Jos Martin, Director of Engineering at MathWorks, explained that: “Making stuff is expensive and slow. If you can not make stuff – awesome. So, everything is simulation.”

One notable benefit of software simulation that I spoke to Tanya about is the use of digital twins, a method of creating a virtual representation of a physical system, that has been instrumental in designing more efficient products without the need for extensive physical testing.

This approach is particularly evident in industries like automotive, where complex systems like electric vehicles and renewable energy grids need highly complex systems to be optimised.

“Electrification has two parts: make as much of our electricity come from clean, renewable sources and use that electricity wherever possible in preference to fossil fuels,” Morton tells me.

Simulation tools are essentially allowing companies to design and refine their systems with greater precision, which is helping in accelerating the move towards cleaner energy.

Software-defined systems in electrification

Electrification is one of the most significant areas where software-defined systems are making an impact. The growing demand for electric vehicles, renewable energy solutions, and more efficient processes all rely on sophisticated embedded control systems to function effectively.

“We actively try to engage with academics to see who’s doing interesting research in this area and see how we can help them,” Morton said, referring to the company’s collaboration with universities and research institutions.

For example, in the renewable energy sector, MathWorks’ tools are being used to design systems such as wind turbines and smart grids. These systems require precise control and predictive maintenance to ensure that maintenance carried out only when it’s necessary to avoid expensive downtime.

“By predicting when components might fail, companies can avoid unnecessary maintenance, reducing both costs and emissions,” said Martin.

Marrying software into hardware

As industries are increasingly looking to adopt software-defined systems, there is inevitably a gap that needs to be bridged between traditional hardware-focused engineering and software development.

Morton explains this as a “clash of cultures” where engineers and software developers may use different terminology, yet they are ultimately working towards the same goal. For example, “One of the challenges in defining software-defined products is that the engineers might call it simulation, while the software engineers call it virtualisation.”

MathWorks is addressing this challenge by developing new tools and integrations that allow engineers from different disciplines to collaborate more effectively to ensure that products are designed and tested in a way that integrates both hardware and software components from the very beginning.

Martin describes how this approach leads to the development of highly efficient systems which reduce the risk of failure and improves the overall product performance. “You want to catch failures as soon as you possibly can. Simulation and testing help identify issues early in the development cycle, making the whole process more efficient,” he notes.

Sustainability through innovation

Moving towards more software-defined systems not only improves efficiency, it also drives sustainability – the two go hand-in-hand. By integrating software, engineers are able to design products that consume less energy, produce fewer emissions, and make better use of resources. This is particularly important in industries like transportation, where electrification is seen as a key driver of sustainability.

Morton believes this transformation is attracting a new generation of engineers who are passionate about making a difference: “Sustainability is something we embed into university students to the maximum extent … We’re really trying to engage with academics on electric vehicles and renewable energy.”

This focus on sustainability is reflected by companies across the board as they look at ways and means to reduce their carbon footprint – from designing more efficient batteries and motors to optimising control systems in renewable energy grids, the integration of software into hardware systems is helping to accelerate the transition towards a greener future.

Martin notes how this approach is enabling companies to innovate faster: “With a solid pipeline of tests and a good platform for understanding, you might be able to make relatively radical changes to your engine and be confident in simulation that it’s going to work.”

The future of software-driven sustainability

Companies, like MathWorks, who provide the tools that engineers need to design smarter, sustainable products are at the helm of sustainability efforts, as Morton observed: “Engineers are quietly tackling climate change through the next evolution of technology.”

Reflecting on the information I gathered during the expo, I think that the journey towards a software-defined future will continue evolve as industry needs, consumer needs, and the climate needs evolve. And with industry pioneers like MathWorks continuing to question and to push forward on what is possible, the drive for software innovation to be embedded in everything looks set to create a more sustainable, circular world for everyone.

Photo credits: Aiden Chan