GM Aims to Cut Vehicle Development Time in Half Using AI and Virtual Simulation

General Motors is targeting a two-year vehicle development process, down from the standard four- to six-year cycle, Business Insider reported. The company said it is using AI, simulation, and decades of engineering data to move more discovery work into the virtual world.

Sterling Anderson, GM's chief product officer and a former Tesla and Aurora Innovation executive, said the goal is to make the 20-month timeline achieved on the GMC Hummer EV the norm rather than an exception.

"We want that to be the norm, not an exception," Anderson said. "The team did a number of Herculean things to make that happen. " Jason Fischer, GM's executive director of virtual integration engineering and a 28-year GM veteran, said physical prototypes are now used mainly for confirmation rather than initial discovery.

GM conducts virtual tests, including Consumer Reports' avoidance maneuver testing, on computer-generated models. In one demonstration, multiple engineering and design teams evaluated a Cadillac Lyriq in a single virtual environment. Fischer said GM rarely uses an exact off-the-shelf tool and instead customizes software with suppliers or builds technology internally.

"We have a lot of IP ownership on some of the techniques that we've developed," Fischer said. Engineers can rerun virtual tests under varied conditions including ice, snow, and rain. GM can also use co-simulation to model airflow, refrigerant behavior, cabin comfort, range, energy efficiency, and fuel economy together.

Work that might have taken months can now happen in hours or days, Fischer said. A bracket in the Corvette's rear hood was developed using topology optimization. The optimized bracket is 30% stiffer, 20% lighter, and about 95% more durable than the original design.

GM then added the Corvette symbol in the middle. GM has previously spoken with Business Insider about using AI tools that help turn sketches into animations and monitor its supply chains. Anderson said the winners of the industry are those who iterate like next-gen software companies.