Dassault Systèmes is a European software company that provides software for 3D product design, virtual simulation and other 3D-related products across 12 industries worldwide.
While we regularly tell inspiring and compelling stories here on the Dassault Systèmes blog, there is one story we perhaps don’t share enough: who we are.
In this blog post, we’re sharing a little more about us, based on the most common questions we receive from prospective clients, job candidates, internet searches and one of our favorite audiences: our families, who are always asking us, “What do you do all day at work?”
We hope that readers refer to this blog for answers to commonly asked questions about Dassault Systèmes — from our history and offices, to our flagship products, sustainability commitments and career opportunities.
Here are some of the most common questions we get!
“Where is Dassault Systèmes’ headquarters located?
Dassault Systèmes is a European company with a global presence and market reach spanning 188 sites worldwide. Our three main headquarters are located in:
- Vélizy, France
- Waltham, Massachusetts, USA
- Shanghai, China
A full list of office locations is available on the Dassault Systèmes Office Locations page.
“When was Dassault Systèmes founded?”
Dassault Systèmes was founded in 1981 by a group of engineers from Dassault Aviation to design products in three dimensions and address the aerospace industry’s need for more sophisticated computer-aided design (CAD) tools.
“Does Dassault Systèmes make airplanes?”
No, Dassault Systèmes does not manufacture airplaces. You may be thinking about our sister company, Dassault Aviation, which manufactures both military aircraft and business jets.
Dassault Systèmes was created by Marcel Dassault and Charles Edelstenne in 1981 as a spin-off from Dassault Aviation, a leading French aerospace company. Its purpose was to market software initially designed by and for Dassault Aviation, with the aim of becoming the industry benchmark in computer-aided design. Today, Dassault Systèmes and Dassault Aviation are separate companies, both part of Groupe Industriel Marcel Dassault — often called Dassault Group.
While we don’t make airplanes ourselves, Dassault Systèmes helps the entire aerospace and defense industry innovate, and Dassault Aviation remains one of our customers to this day!
Learn more about Dassault Systèmes’ history
“How do you pronounce Dassault Systèmes? Da-salt?”
The correct pronunciation is: Da-so Sis-tem.
“How many people work at Dassault Systèmes?”
As of 2026, we’re 25,000 people strong with 188 sites worldwide.
Learn more stats on our Facts & FAQs page.
“What does Dassault Systèmes do?”
Dassault Systèmes provides businesses and people with science-based, technology-powered solutions that enable them to address real-world challenges and push the boundaries of innovation, learning and production.
We do this by offering AI-enhanced solutions such as 3D UNIVERSES — combinations of virtual twins built on the revolutionary 3DEXPERIENCE platform — that allow customers to create and simulate innovative new products and services in a virtual environment. It enables smarter decisions before anything is physically built and encourages users to imagine a world that addresses the major challenges facing the world today.
Dassault Systèmes aims to be a leader in Industrial AI by providing customers with truly generative solutions to solve complex problems. Our virtual twins are built on AI engines and “Industry World Models” trained on highly robust industrial datasets drawn from nearly 45 years of industrial know-how. By combining AI with science, modeling, simulation and real-world data, our AI solutions go far beyond automation. We’re providing precise representations of real-world objects and processes — from automobiles to cities to human hearts — across their entire lifecycle.
To learn more about our breadth of activities, watch the video below:
“What is Dassault Systèmes famous for?“
Dassault Systèmes is globally known for our groundbreaking software solutions. We have a long history with 3D design and are often recognized for our simulation tools, CAD software and other 3D-related products and solutions. Dassault Systèmes is also particularly known for our virtual twin experiences and the 3DEXPERIENCE platform.
“What is a virtual twin?”
A virtual twin is a scientifically accurate digital replica of a real-world object, system or environment. Virtual twins are powered by Dassault Systèmes’ 3DEXPERIENCE platform, where businesses are empowered to model, simulate and optimize complex systems before committing to physical production.
Learn more about virtual twin experiences.
“What is the 3DEXPERIENCE platform?”
The 3DEXPERIENCE platform is an AI-native agentic platform that provides organizations with a holistic, real-time view of their business activity and ecosystem.
The 3DEXPERIENCE platform was designed to connect people, ideas, data and solutions in a single environment. It creates a closed-loop connection between the virtual and real worlds, allowing users to represent complex systems — from cars to cities to human hearts — and experiment as much as they wish, gaining insights that drive a continuous cycle of improvement from inception through market delivery to usage. Businesses, from startups to large enterprises, use the 3DEXPERIENCE platform to explore what-if scenarios and innovate in entirely new ways that push society forward. It is unique in its unparalleled accuracy in matching the virtual world with the real one and for its incorporation of multi-physics, multi-scale and multi-discipline technologies that combine modeling, simulation and data science.
Since the 3DEXPERIENCE platform’s launch in 2012, it has advanced rapidly, and its latest release introduces Virtual Companions, our version of AI agents, marking a shift toward AI that understands industrial contexts. More than an AI chatbot, AURA, LEO and MARIE each have their own set of competencies embedded in the 3DEXPERIENCE platform and are designed to work alongside users across business, engineering and scientific activities to support actions directly in the flow of work, such as product design, simulation, manufacturing and operations.
“What does Dassault Systèmes sell?”
Dassault Systèmes sells software, cloud infrastructure and AI-powered virtual experiences that help organizations design, simulate, manufacture and operate products and services.
At the center of the Dassault Systèmes portfolio is the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, which connects people, data and processes across the full innovation cycle. Our offerings range from tools for individual roles to industry-wide solutions, supported by secure cloud services from OUTSCALE.
Dassault Systèmes also provides Generative Experiences, AI-powered Virtual Companions and Virtual Twins as a Service, enabling companies to test scenarios, optimize decisions and improve performance before acting in the real world.
Contact sales to learn more.
“What does ‘Virtual Worlds for Real Life’ mean?“
“Virtual Worlds for Real Life” is Dassault Systèmes’ tagline, built on a 45+ year legacy and our vision for a sustainable future.
The tagline reflects Dassault Systèmes’ commitment to making the power of virtual worlds accessible and impactful for all businesses and people. It helps people understand our story and establishes a common thread throughout our 12 brands.
“What industries does Dassault Systèmes serve?“
Dassault Systèmes serves 12 different industries, grouped into three economic sectors. They are:
- Manufacturing Industries: Transportation & Mobility, Aerospace & Defense, Marine & Offshore, Industrial Equipment, High-Tech, Home & Lifestyle and Consumer Packaged Goods – Retail
- Life Sciences & Healthcare
- Infrastructure & Cities: Infrastructure, Energy & Materials, Architecture, Engineering & Construction, Business Services and Cities & Public Services
“How many Dassault Systèmes’ brands are there?”
Dassault Systèmes offers 12 different brands along with the revolutionary, industry-transforming 3DEXPERIENCE platform, all centered on our vision of creating Virtual Worlds for Real Life.
- Social and collaborative: CENTRIC, ENOVIA
- 3D modeling: SOLIDWORKS, CATIA, GEOVIA, BIOVIA
- Simulation: SIMULIA, DELMIA, 3DVIA
- Information intelligence: 3DEXPERIENCE, MEDIDATA
- Infrastructure for business experiences: OUTSCALE
Together, these brands enable users to create virtual twins to visualize, model and simulate the full product lifecycle and facilitate sustainable innovation.
Discover more about our products and solutions.
“Is SOLIDWORKS owned by Dassault Systèmes?”
Yes! In 1997, Dassault Systèmes signed a definitive agreement to acquire SOLIDWORKS.
SOLIDWORKS provides designers, engineers, entrepreneurs, makers and growing businesses with complete 3D product tools to transform ideas into manufacturable products and fuel world-changing innovations. SOLIDWORKS is the trusted standard for 3D design, and its simulation, data management and collaboration applications cover all aspects of the development process, providing an easy-to-use and intuitive interface for small and mid-size businesses.
“Is Dassault Systèmes the same as CATIA?”
Nope! But there’s no Dassault Systèmes without CATIA. Today, it’s one of our 12 brands, but back in 1981, CATIA was our very first.
CATIA was released to provide multi-platform software for computer-aided design (CAD), manufacturing, computer-aided engineering (CAE), 3D modeling and product lifecycle management (PLM), initially for the aerospace and automotive industries. We’re proud of CATIA’s 45+ year history and its impact on transforming how products are designed in 3D.
“What are 3D UNIVERSES?“
3D UNIVERSES – which you may see stylized as 3D UNIV+RSES – are a new class of representation of the world that combines modeling, simulation, data science and AI-generated content into secure industry environments where customers can experiment, learn and innovate at a scale previously not possible. 3D UNIVERSES enable the virtualization of an entire product lifecycle by linking virtual twins across design, engineering, manufacturing and operations, as well as combining multiple virtual twins across companies.
“What type of companies does Dassault Systèmes partner with?”
Dassault Systèmes works with a wide range of global innovators and technology collaborators. Some of our most notable partnerships include IBM for product lifecycle management (PLM) solutions, NVIDIA for industrial AI, Accenture for digital transformation, OMRON for information technology and operational technology, Mistral AI for sovereign cloud deployment and Airbus for virtual twin deployment in the aerospace and defense sector.
Learn more about our partner network.
“Has Dassault Systèmes made any recent acquisitions?”
Since 1981, Dassault Systèmes has combined strategic acquisitions with sustained organic investment in R&D and sales to strengthen the 3DEXPERIENCE platform and address complex industry challenges. As of July 2026, Dassault Systèmes announced that it signed a definitive agreement to acquire ArisGlobal, an AI-native enterprise compliance platform in the Life Sciences industry. Other recent acquisitions include Consentserv, which was acquired by Dassault Systèmes brand CENTRIC and Ascon Qube, both in 2025.
Learn more about Dassault Systèmes’ past acquisitions, like Quintiq and MEDIDATA.
“Is Dassault Systèmes a great place to work?”
Well, we sure think so. And others agree! In 2023, Forbes ranked us #21 on its World’s Best Employers list and #2 among French companies. We are also very proud of our people and their talents, both in and out of the office.
Watch our people talking about who we are!
“Is Dassault Systèmes hiring?”
Yes! We are always looking to bring in top talent — be it in our R&D teams (which make up 40% of our company) or other organizations like sales, marketing, HR, operations and more.
Our careers page shares all current opportunities across all 188 Dassault Systèmes sites.
“Is Dassault Systèmes a sustainable company?”
Absolutely. Dassault Systèmes has made sustainability a core part of its corporate identity and strategy.
In 2021, we announced our sustainability strategy, which outlines our strategic goals. In 2026, we set a new net-zero, science-based emissions-reduction target, committing to achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions across the value chain by 2050. We remain steadfast in our commitment to helping clients find a balance between an organization’s footprint — what they take from the planet to create products or services — and their handprint — the value they give back. By doing so, Dassault Systèmes actively promotes a circular economy and its principles, encouraging businesses to move away from the traditional take-make-use-waste model, in which materials and products are discarded after a single use.
We also strive to “walk the talk” and embed sustainability in everything that we do. Some of our most recent recognitions for being a leader in sustainability include the following rankings and recognitions:
- 1st in the Financial Times’ 2026 list of Europe’s Climate Leaders
- 1st in the software and services industry in the Corporate Knights Global 100
- Top 2% of the software sector in the S&P Global CSA
- AAA score in the MSCI ESG Ratings assessment for being a leader in the software sector.
- Gold Medal rating from EcoVadis
Learn more about our recent sustainability ratings and awards.
Related resources:
- Dassault Systèmes careers
- Facts and FAQs
- How virtual twins benefit every industry
- Combining virtual twins and industrial AI
- Accelerating AI factory innovation with virtual twins
Looking for more information? Contact us!
***Originally published on May 9, 2022 and updated on August 19, 2026.
Alyssa RossAlyssa is a Communications Director on the Dassault Systèmes Corporate Publishing team. She’s been part of DS for over 20 years, in roles ranging from public relations to marketing programs. Twitter: @DS_Alyssa