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KEYWORDS: Digital Twin, Virtual Twin, AI Physics, Simulation, Artificial Intelligence, Manufacturing
Executive Summary
Digital twins were once primarily associated with engineering visualization, simulation, and asset monitoring. However, a comparison of the messages presented at AVEVA WORLD 2026, Siemens Realize LIVE Europe 2026, and Dassault Systèmes 3DEXPERIENCE Forums 2026 reveals that leading industrial software suppliers are significantly expanding both the scope and strategic importance of digital twins.
While the terminology differs, with AVEVA speaking about Living Digital Twins, Siemens promoting the Comprehensive Digital Twin, and Dassault Systèmes advancing the Virtual Twin, all three vendors are extending the concept far beyond its traditional engineering roots. Digital twins are increasingly evolving into enterprise-wide intelligence systems that connect physical assets, operational data, engineering knowledge, simulation, AI, and human expertise.
From an ARC perspective, the most significant observation is that digital twins are entering a new phase of maturity. They are becoming a foundational framework for connecting engineering, operations, AI, and lifecycle decision-making across increasingly complex industrial environments.
This paper examines both the common themes and the important strategic differences emerging across the three vendors. It explores the evolving role of digital twins, the growing importance of context, physics, and AI, the expansion from assets to broader systems and ecosystems, and the different paths suppliers are taking toward industrial intelligence. While the destination appears increasingly similar, the underlying strategies, architectures, and value propositions remain distinctly different.
From Models to Living Representations
One of the strongest themes across all three events was the movement away from viewing digital twins as static models. At AVEVA WORLD, executives described the emergence of the Living Digital Twin, a continuously evolving representation of industrial assets that remains synchronized with physical systems throughout their lifecycle. AVEVA’s vision extends beyond design-stage models, emphasizing persistent synchronization between engineering information, operational data, historical records, and real-time events. The digital twin increasingly serves as a long-term operational reference rather than a project deliverable.
Dassault Systèmes presented a similar evolution through the concept of the Virtual Twin. Throughout both the Paris and Darmstadt events, Virtual Twins were consistently described as dynamic representations that continuously evolve alongside products, factories, and supply chains. Rather than serving solely engineering purposes, Virtual Twins provide a contextual environment for simulation, prediction, and decision support.
Siemens approached the concept through its notion of the Comprehensive Digital Twin. The company argued that many industry discussions remain too narrow, focusing either on products or operations. Siemens instead promotes a digital twin that spans mechanical, electrical, software, manufacturing, service, and operational domains within a continuously connected lifecycle model. A key element of this vision is that the twin remains synchronized with real-world data and evolves as products and production systems change over time. Despite different terminology, all three companies increasingly view these systems as dynamic digital counterparts rather than static engineering artifacts.
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