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| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| |
| Industry | CAD/CAM/CAE/PLMSoftware |
| Founded | 1981; 45 years ago (1981) |
| Founder | Francis Bernard |
| Headquarters | Vélizy-Villacoublay, France |
Key people |
|
| Products | 3D design software, 3D Digital Mock-up andProduct lifecycle management (PLM) |
| Revenue |  €6.21 billion (2024)[1] |
| €1.35 billion (2024)[1] | |
| €1.19 billion (2024)[1] | |
| Total assets | €15.54 billion (2024)[1] |
| Total equity | €9.06 billion (2024)[1] |
Number of employees | 25,000 (2024)[2] |
| Parent | Dassault Group |
| Website | 3ds |
Dassault Systèmes SE (French pronunciation:[dasosistɛm]) (abbreviated3DS) is a Frenchmultinational software corporation which develops software for 3D product design, simulation, manufacturing and other 3D related products.
Founded in 1981, it is headquartered inVélizy-Villacoublay, France, and has 25,000 employees across 184 global offices.[3]
Dassault Systèmes (also known as 3DS) grew out of the aerospace industry's search for more sophisticated drafting tools to streamline the development process and aid in the increasing complexity of aviation design. Dassault Systèmes spun out in 1981 (as part ofDassault Group) to develop and market their 3D surface design software CATI, later renamedCATIA. That same year, Dassault Systèmes signed a sales and marketing agreement withIBM, allowing IBM to resell the CATIACAD software.[4]
In the 1990s, Dassault Systèmes' software was used to develop seven out of every ten new airplanes and four out of every ten new cars worldwide. Major players in the aviation and automotive industries, includingHonda,Mercedes-Benz,BMW andBoeing, were able to design and mock-up their products in CATIA rather than using CAD programs and physical prototypes. TheBoeing 777, theFalcon 2000 business jet, and the Rafale jet fighter were designed using CATIA.[4]
Dassault Systèmes launched an initial public offering (IPO) on both theParis Bourse andNasdaq in 1996.[5] Following its success, the next year, the company acquiredSolidWorks and Deneb Robotics, which later became part of theDELMIA brand, and additional software to build toward product lifecycle management (PLM). The SolidWorks acquisition strengthened Dassault Systèmes' 2D drafting capacity and provided entry into theMicrosoft market, while other acquisitions added digital manufacturing software to the product lineup. These acquisitions paved the way for Dassault Systèmes to introduce a total manufacturing system with their subsidiary brand, DELMIA, in 1998. The new offering enabled access to data across the spectrum of manufacturing processes, while remaining independent of the CAD environment.[4]
By the end of 1998, the CAD software industry vendors were devising strategies to become internet-enabled. The main focus was to enable the viewing of 3D models in web browsers and build interfaces to product data management (PDM) systems. Dassault Systèmes was one of the leaders in enabling these functions for its users. The company benefited from their experience integrating CAD software across networks for the Boeing 777 project, and had already made moves toward internet-enabled CAD software in 1996 with CATIA Conferencing Groupware; which enabled review and annotation of models using the internet. The introduction of ENOVIA further marked their industry-leading place by providing internet-enabled PDM and 3D product lifecycle management. Dassault Systèmes' acquisitions continued into 1999, when two CAD software vendors were purchased: Matra Datavision and Smart Solutions. Also in 1999, Dassault Systèmes released CATIA Version 5, which was the first version to be fully implemented in theMicrosoft Windows environment.[6]
As the demand for digital and virtual experiences increased in 2000, Dassault Systèmes launched DELMIA, which provides digital manufacturing tools for virtual planning, simulating, and modeling of production processes.[7]
The mid-2000s heralded a series of acquisitions for Dassault Systèmes to improve their product offerings and expand their market reach, and Dassault Systèmes launched new software and tools. In 2005, Dassault Systèmes sought to improve the quality of 3D interactions and simulations. First they acquired Abaqus, a US-based company specializing in software that allows engineers to simulate and observe the performance of components in products.[8]
Then they acquired Virtools, software that enables companies to create 3D applications.[9] The following year, the company extended its market reach into high-tech, consumer products, and medical devices through the acquisition of MatrixOne, which would be linked with ENOVIA.[10] In 2007, subsidiary brand3DVIA was launched to create a social network and content community for 3D artists and modelers.
As the 2000s progressed, Dassault Systèmes began to enter online applications and build toward more online applications for product data management, collaboration, realistic simulation and more. Examples of this strategy include the purchase or launch of brands such as EXALEAD for information intelligence, NETVIBES for business analytics, 3DEXCITE for marketing, and GEOVIA for modeling the planet. In 2012, the company launched the 3DEXPERIENCE platform to connect its software applications.
CATIA under the 3DEXPERIENCE platform enables users to go beyond physical product definition to model any product in the context of its real-life behavior. Systems, architects, engineers, designers and all contributors collaborate on fit, form, function, and customer experience.[11]
Dassault Systèmes also began to offer its version ofdigital twins, which the company calls virtual twin experiences and are powered by the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. Virtual twins help companies visualize, model and simulate an entire environment to explore how a product or process will behave when assembled, operated or subjected to a range of events.
To expand their capabilities and industries served through the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, Dassault Systèmes completed additional acquisitions, including:
Throughout the decade, Dassault Systèmes advanced into the life sciences and healthcare industry, including launching the Living Heart Project[23] for simulating heart function in 2014 and acquiring subsidiary brandMEDIDATA for managing clinical trials, in 2019.
In 2020, Dassault Systèmes expanded its focus from “Things to Life” by applying what they have learned over the past four decades and applying it to the human body. By developing a virtual twin experience of the human body, they can model, search, test and treat a human body as precisely, safely and effectively as cars, buildings or airplanes and customize the care of each individual.[24]
That year, Dassault Systèmes also opened a 3DEXPERIENCE Edu Center of Excellence atPurdue University. This was the first United States based center, with previous centers in France, Mexico, Germany, India. Further United States centers opened, including in 2022 atLong Island University.[25]
In 2022, the company named Philippine de T'Serclaes as its chief sustainability officer.[26] Later that year, Dassault Systèmes, along with French companies Docaposte, Bouygues Telecom and Banque des Territoires, announced plans to create Numspot, a joint effort to build a European sovereign cloud service for the financial, health and public sectors that would rely on the infrastructure of 3DS Outscale.[27][28] It also extended its partnership with Inria, the French Institute for Research in Computer Science and Automation to use digital twins in the health and cybersecurity industries.[29] The next year, further partnerships were created including with theSpherical Tokamak for Energy Production to manage engineering processes for a nuclear fusion reactor program.[30] andBel Group to improve industrial processes at its factories.[31] Also in 2023, Dassault Aviation and Dassault Systèmes developed a cloud for theFuture Combat Air System and other defense and security projects.[32]
Dassault Systèmes signed theEuropean Commission's AI Pact in 2024, which outlines best practices for the use of AI,[33][34] and expanded its AI offerings through a partnership withMistral AI.[35]
More agreements were drawn up during this year, including a design center at theGogte Institute of Technology;[36] developing the instruction of future technologies and careers in French schools with theFrench Ministry of National Education;[37] and training medical students atMIT World Peace University.[38]
That year, French healthcare companySanofi and Dassault Systèmes announced a new partnership to use its 3D simulation and digital twin capabilities for pharma manufacture.[39]
In the automotive industry, Dassault Systèmes partnered withVolkswagen in 2024 for the car manufacturer to use the 3DEXPERIENCE platform during its vehicle development.[40] It has also extended its partnerships withBMW,[41] Hyundai Motor,[42] andJaguar Land Rover.[43][44]
With more than 90 other companies, Dassault Systèmes signed an open letter in 2025 to thePresident of the European Commission for more technological independence via the creation of a fund for European public investments.[45]
That year, Dassault Systèmes also announced "3D Universes", stylized as "3D UNIV+RSES", as an update for how it would approach 3D modeling. 3D Universes use generative AI to power and adjust its models.Apple Inc. later announced that itsVision Pro was being integrated into Dassault Systèmes' 3D software forspatial computing.[46][47]
To expand the capabilities served through the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, Dassault Systèmes completed additional acquisitions, including:
Dassault Systèmes' currently supported roster of brands and industries served (as of May 2024[update]):
| Name | Industry | Slogan |
|---|---|---|
| 3DEXCITE | Engagement marketing | "Engineer the excitement" |
| 3DVIA | Virtual Home Design Software | "Shape your dream" |
| BIOVIA | Scientific Software | "Model the biosphere" |
| CATIA | Computer-Aided Design | "Shape the world we live in" |
| Centric PLM | PLM Software | "Plan your collection's success" |
| DELMIA | Manufacturing Operations Software | "Make it happen" |
| ENOVIA | PLM Software | "Plan your definition of success" |
| GEOVIA | Geology Modeling Software | "Model the sustainable planet" |
| MEDIDATA | SaaS forClinical Trials | "Power smarter treatments and healthier people" |
| NETVIBES | Data science | "Reveal information intelligence" |
| SIMULIA | Simulation Software | “Reveal the world we live in” |
| SOLIDWORKS | Computer-Aided Design | “Authentic design experience” |
Dassault Systèmes is led by Chief Executive Officer Pascal Daloz. He succeededBernard Charlès on January 1, 2024.[54] Charlès, who had held the position since 1995,[55] remains the chairman of the board.[54]
As of 2024, public shares accounted for more than 50 percent of Dassault Systèmes' ownership. Other major shareholders includedGroupe Industriel Marcel Dassault,Charles Edelstenne, Bernard Charlès and Pascal Daloz.[56]
Dassault Systèmes has 25,000 employees across 184 global offices: 41% are based in Europe; 32% in Asia-Oceania; and 27% in the Americas. Geographic headquarters are located in Paris (Vélizy-Villacoublay,France), Shanghai, and Boston (Waltham, Massachusetts). As of December 31, 2024, approximately 41% of employees worked in R&D.[2]
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