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AI-Enabled

Digital Engineering

Using Digital Threads

Dirk Zwemer, PhD & Manas Bajaj, PhD

Intercax, LLC

May 22, 2025

NOTE:

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What is Artificial Intelligence (AI)?

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AI - Before ChatGPT (BCG Era)

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Generative AI (After ChatGPT – ACG era)

What

How

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Large Language Models (LLMs)

Source: https://randomresearchai.medium.com/what-are-large-language-models-7dd032afbbba

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LLM Providers & SMOLs (Small Language Models)

OpenAI | Commercial, OpenAI Cloud, Gov

ChatGPT, 1-800-CHATGPT
LLMs - GPT-4o, GPT-4o-mini, DALL-E, Whisper,…

Microsoft | Commercial, MS Azure Cloud

Copilot – GitHub, MS 365 (Office products), Azure, Dynamics, …
Azure – OpenAI models + Foundry infra to build apps

Google (Deepmind) | Commercial, Google Cloud

Google AI Studio, NotebookLM
LLMs - Gemini 2.0, Gemini 2.0 Flash, …

Meta | Open Source, You host

Meta AI, AI Studio, WhatsApp
LLMs – Llama 3.2,…, Llama 4 (launched last week)

Anthropic | Commercial, Cloud

Claude
LLMs – Sonnet 3.5, …

Hugging Face | Open-Source AI Community

Mistral AI | Open + Commercial

LLMs - Mistral Large, …

LLMs and SMOLs are now a commodity!

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Syndeia AI Agents - Demo

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AI depends on Data. Where is your Data?

Requirements
Architecture (SysML v1, SysML v2)
Design / Manufacturing
Software code, tests, releases
Simulation (lumped params, 3D FEA/CFD)
Project management
Test Management
Manufacturing Plans and Machine sensors
Quality checks
Maintenance – On-field
Supply chain and logistics
Customer behavior
Business projections, sales, ROI

Source: http://sysml-models.com/spacecraft/models/html/architecting-spacecraft.html

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How can AI talk to digital threads?

SysML 2.0 + API / Services

Digital Thread - a means of making system data in multiple independent data repositories available in a connected, organized and readily accessible form to all authorized users, through a single API

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DoD Instruction 5000.97 - Digital Threads

DoD Instruction 5000.97, Digital Engineering, Dec 21, 2023. Click for PDF
Digital Threads as a foundation for enabling digital engineering
…Interplay of technical data, software, information, and knowledge in the digital engineering ecosystem
…informs decision makers …by providing the capability to access, integrate, and transform data into actionable information.

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Syndeia – Digital Thread and AI Platform

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Syndeia = API first platform | Integrations + Digital Thread available as API

All integrations …

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Syndeia Integrations – Commercially Available

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Spacecraft Digital Thread in Syndeia�Requirements, Systems, Hardware, and Software – Different Repositories

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Syndeia API + Python SDK for Data Science – Jupyter / VS Code

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Syndeia AI Agents

- Defined in ->

<- Tracked by --

<- Refined by -

<- Managed in --

<- Satisfied by --

- Verified by ->

<- Allocated to --

Talk to your digital engineering repositories & digital threads

AI + APIs

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Syndeia AI Agents - Demo

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Syndeia AI Agents - Demo

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AI Agents = LLMs + API access to your data

{APIs}

Query Generation

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AI Agents = LLMs + API access to your data

{APIs}

Query Generation

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Syndeia AI Agents - Demo

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Syndeia AI Agents - Demo

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Some valuable lessons

AI Agents – LLM + Data APIs

Use LLMs for natural language processing, for reasoning with data
APIs to fetch real data from your model repositories (SysML, PLM, ALM, Test, Projects,…)
Query, Generate, and Reason with your existing models/data

Interacting directly with out-of-the-box LLMs [Trained on “world knowledge’]

Quick and fun starting point for any application
Use it for ideation and out of the box thinking but not to generate a mission-critical system design

Concerns

LLM sourcing – using LLMs from qualified sources
Explainable AI (XAI) – Explaining the reasoning that goes into answering questions
AI Verification is critical – Unit and functional testing, debugging, scalability, …