The aim of the workshop was to bring together different software providers, developers and users of computational simulation tools to discuss the opportunities and challenges of integrating and making these tools work together. In the workshop’s opening session, Georg J. Schmitz from RWTH Aachen University and Access presented the vision of ICME: a near future with open and standardised communication protocols that allow researchers and developers to put together different simulation tools in a plug-and-play fashion. Such protocols could enable the simulation of a whole product development cycle across multiple space- and timescales. This could provide enormous benefits for development and production of new materials and products.
The workshop included sessions on, among other topics, the simulation of effective properties, the evolution of microstructure, small-scale models and integration platforms for ICME. Anders Engström moderated a lively discussion session on “The role of thermodynamics in ICME and challenges to be met” and Qing Chen gave an appreciated talk on “Extending CALPHAD databases for ICME” as part of a session on thermodynamics.
Work on developing standards for ICME continues and the next workshop will be held in 2016 in Barcelona, Spain.
