Russian engineering software market. TAdviser Overview

The engineering software market in Russia passed the stage of emergency replacement of foreign solutions and entered the phase of more sustainable development. Companies no longer choose "replacement" software, but build an end-to-end engineering circuit - from design and calculations to data management and integration with production and corporate systems.

Demand has shifted from pilot projects to industrial operation. Customers evaluate not only the functionality of systems, but also their scalability, compatibility with other IT platforms, ecosystem maturity, and human resources personnel. Against this background, the market remains growing, but becomes more demanding of vendors and integrators.

The new review includes estimates of the volume and dynamics of the market, changes in the requests of customer companies, restrictions and points of growth, as well as expectations of participants regarding the further development of engineering software in Russia.

Estimates of the volume of the Russian engineering software market in 2025 differ markedly. The discrepancies are related to different accounting of segments, revenue of custom development and service component, as well as to the concentration of revenue from a limited number of large vendors. In the upper range, estimates reach 50-55 billion rubles with an increase of about 20% by 2024, in more restrained scenarios the market is in the range of 12-17 billion rubles, and the consensus estimate of a number of participants is about 38 billion rubles with an increase of 10-15%.

The overall dynamics of the market in 2025 remained positive, but its nature has changed. If in 2023-2024 the growth was formed due to the emergency rejection of foreign solutions, then in 2025 the market moved into a more mature phase. The main contribution to the growth was made by the expansion of the use of already implemented domestic products, the connection of additional modules, the development of PLM and PDM circuits, the integration of CAD with BIM, MES and other corporate systems, as well as personnel training and scaling implementations. Pilot projects have given way to industrial operation, primarily in large organizations.

{{quote 'If in 2024 companies mainly tested solutions and worked out methods, then in 2025 a massive deployment began. Also, the impact was the tightening of sanctions pressure, which made a return to previous foreign decisions almost impossible, and the expansion of state subsidy programs.

At the same time, according to our estimates, growth is primarily due to the use of domestic engineering software in companies with state participation, in the design of "registered" products, as well as within the framework of regulatory and supporting measures of the state, "says Evgeny Mamaev, head of the design center of electronics ICL Services.}}

The main transitions from Western solutions have already been completed, and the growth was formed by deepening the use of domestic software. Secondly, the impact of state programs and regulation has remained: the roadmap "New Industrial Software" and the requirements for the use of Russian software in critical infrastructure support demand, - comments Nikolai Menshoy, Head of Industrial Design, TX and Software Softline Solutions (Softline Group of Companies).

The main reason for this dynamics is not just the update of design tools, but a more systematic demand for technological independence and a controlled engineering circuit: market growth is facilitated by the development of PDM/PLM, TIM/information modeling, as well as a stable interest in modeling automation and AI tools, says Anton Kolosov, Commercial Director of ROXIT (part of KORUS Consulting Group of Companies).

A key source of demand continued to be the public sector and government-owned companies. A significant part of the market is concentrated in the military-industrial complex, which accounts for the overwhelming share of engineering software consumption. Demand here is supported by regulatory requirements, projects of special value and industry programs.

In my opinion, the volume of the Russian engineering software market grew by 10-15% due to government purchases of domestic software (nanoCAD, T-FLEX, KOMPAS-3D) as part of import substitution and state programs. Demand from oil and gas and mechanical engineering strengthens the dynamics, but inflation and sanctions on iron limit real growth, - said Anton Borodin, director of implementation and development of expertise at UltimaTek Group of Companies .

The main growth factors remain the ongoing import substitution process combined with state support measures, as well as the development of technologies, the expansion of the functionality of solutions and the emergence of new players. An additional contribution to the dynamics is the formation of a more conscious demand from industrial companies and the public sector, focused on long-term digitalization, "says Dmitry Detenkov, head of CAD at SysSoft.

A change in the financing structure for a number of programs led to an increase in the burden on enterprises' own budgets, which restrains purchases and especially investments in the development of the functionality of domestic solutions.

The private sector displayed more cautious behavior. Macroeconomic conditions, a high key rate and limited access to leveraged financing reduce investment activity and delay decisions to expand licenses. The industry maintains a gap between the formal transition to Russian software and actual use: some organizations are limited to minimal purchases "for the report," continuing to work in foreign systems.

In 2025, there were significant changes in the financing structure of projects. Earlier, the ratio of enterprises' own funds and grant funds by government decree No. 550 was 80:20, but this year it has changed by 50:50. This led to a reduction in the total amount of support, which negatively affects the market. Defense industry enterprises, faced with the need to independently finance not only purchases, but also software development, are experiencing significant financial difficulties. The reduction in state support in 2025, caused by a change in the financing ratio, puts pressure on the market, contributing to a reduction in spending on Russian engineering software, "explains Andrei Karmishin, vice president of the National Computer Corporation for engineering.

According to our estimate, 2025 continued the trend associated with the import substitution of the world's leading brands in the field of PLM. Interest and gradual replacement with domestic software takes place in the field of design - work with complex surfaces, design of composite structures, development of electrical and electronics. Much more that was previously unavailable in domestic CAD systems is being developed and tested by the market, - notes Fedor Lozhkin, Head of Products at PROF-IT GROUP.

Customers who saw the prospect of import substitution took advantage of it, the rest is waiting for an additional impulse to decide on the replacement of foreign software. Someone is waiting until the previously implemented software products finally stop working. Also in 2025, customers were certainly influenced by the presence of their own finances and the conditions for attracting borrowed funds. In the past year, the key rate formed unfavorable lending conditions, therefore, mainly companies relied on their own funds when launching new projects in the field of IT. Nevertheless, at the end of 2025, we note a positive trend in installations of all types of products (CAD, PLM/PDM, BIM). This is an increase in the number of updates relative to 2024, and new jobs where our software replaces foreign solutions, - comments Dmitry Ginda, Marketing Director of CAD/AEC at ASCON.

A significant factor distorting the market picture remains the widespread use of pirated imported software. It is typical primarily for private companies and for cooperation with foreign partners, including Asian ones. This reduces the real effective demand for Russian solutions and strengthens the gap between the declared import substitution and practice.

The additional contribution to the market is provided by custom development and comprehensive implementation projects, where engineering software is integrated into a single digital chain of the enterprise. Demand is shifting from point-to-point implementations to end-to-end solutions with a single architecture, integrations, and unified security standards. This trend partially compensates for the shortage of specialists and the high cost of implementations, but at the same time increases the requirements for vendors and integrators.

Here, as in the general market, the focus from rapid import substitution has shifted to long-term digitalization strategies. Most often, the work does not go with a separate system, but with a set of solutions - CAD, PLM and related platforms, which must be built into the customer's existing IT architecture. Moreover, in order to quickly implement complex solutions, configure integrations and reduce manual control over the quality of software, businesses often turn to contractors with a single entry point and a comprehensive offer. The typical scenario begins with a survey of the design and data management processes, after which the architecture of the solution is formed taking into account the industry specifics and integration requirements, - explains Svetlana Gorshkova, Marketing Director of the custom development company Develonika.

In general, 2025 consolidated the transition of the engineering software market from reactive import substitution to more conscious digitalization. Growth remains, but its pace and stability increasingly depend on macroeconomics, the structure of state support and the ability of domestic decisions to catch up with foreign counterparts in maturity and ecosystem.

The market ended 2025 in a phase of structural growth that can no longer be called just a reaction to external events. We see the consolidation of demand and the transition to systematic digitalization. If 2024 was the year of continuation of the import substitution process and pilots, then 2025 became the year of strategic implementations and scaling. The dynamics were most influenced by two interconnected factors: tightening regulatory requirements for the use of domestic solutions in government orders and construction, as well as the increased technological maturity of our products, - summarizes Sergei Sych, Director of the Product Management Department of Nanosoft.

At the same time, the market showed qualitative shifts. The technological maturity of domestic CAD- and PLM-solutions grew, expanded functionality in areas that were previously considered inaccessible, including work with complex surfaces, composites, electrical engineering and electronics. The demand for product composition, variability and data management throughout the lifecycle has been increasing, pushing the development of PLM as a system layer. These changes form the basis for further growth, but require significant investment from developers and customers.

The largest segment of the market in 2025 was still design systems. They accounted for a significant part of the market due to the accumulated base of implementations and sustainable demand from engineering, construction and research.

The main wave of the transition from AutoCAD and other Autodesk solutions to Russian platforms occurred in 2023-2024, so in 2025 the growth was formed mainly due to new projects and the expansion of the functional use of domestic solutions, "says Nikolai Menshoy, Head of Industrial Design, TX and Settlement Software" Softline Solutions "(Softline Group of Companies).

According to Evgeny Mamaev, head of the ICL Services electronics design center, the dynamics of the segment is slightly constrained by the need for deep adaptation and training, as well as the limited maturity of Russian solutions.

The most noticeable shift in demand was toward engineering data and product lifecycle management systems. PLM and PDM are perceived by the market as the necessary digital basis for already implemented CAD. Companies are moving from automating individual design phases to managing data, requirements, and changes end-to-end throughout the product lifecycle. This provided a higher growth rate for this segment compared to classical design systems and gradually increased its share in the market structure.

The segment of information modeling technologies in construction showed steady growth and in a number of estimates became a key market driver. The main factor was state regulation and TIM's participation in infrastructure and budget projects. At the same time, experts indicate that the current dynamics does not yet lead to the formation of a completely seamless digital environment at all stages of the life cycle of the object. The limitation remains a different understanding of the content of TIM and the fragmentation of approaches, which restrains the effect of implementations, but does not cancel the overall trend for growth.

The undisputed leader in growth is the TIM market (BIM). This is a consequence of the active position of the state in regulating the construction industry. However, the largest segment in terms of volume remains the CAD segment, especially specialized - for mechanical engineering and construction research. If we talk about shares, then CAD in construction and research retains leadership, but it is TIM that demonstrates the greatest dynamics and becomes the key driver of the entire engineering software market, - comments Sergei Sych, Director of the Product Management Department of Nanosoft.

The largest growth in 2025 was demonstrated by design systems and information modeling technologies (BIM). Their share in the total market volume is about 60%, which indicates a high interest in digitalization in design and high involvement from vendors, - notes Sergei Redko, commercial director of the Digital Solutions business area of ​ ​ Aisors.

TIM did show significant growth in relation to the previous year last year. Although, of course, this growth is not enough to cover all areas of the construction, design, survey and operational stages of the life cycle of the information model with seamless solutions. The main problem lies in the different understandings of these technologies. As soon as we overcome the problem (and it is mainly "in our heads") inherited from the Western classification, the processes will go more efficiently and quickly, - said Mikhail Bocharov, Deputy General Director for Science of SiSoft Development JSC (part of SiSoft Group of Companies).

MES systems showed the highest growth rates, although their place in the structure of the engineering software market is interpreted in different ways. A number of estimates take them into account as part of an adjacent class of production systems, but the actual demand from mechanical engineering, oil and gas, petrochemicals and FMCG has increased markedly. Growth has been spurred by the challenges of improving efficiency, controlling resources and meeting regulatory requirements, as well as the limited availability of Western solutions. Projects played a significant role, where MES developed in conjunction with APCS, ERP and engineering systems, forming a single production control loop.

Judging by our projects, in 2025, MES systems with an increase of 15-20% became the growth leaders, especially in conjunction with APCS for mechanical engineering and oil and gas, - confirms Anton Borodin, director for implementation and development of expertise at UltimaTek Group of Companies.

Various government initiatives, such as from RFRIT, allow in the current rather complex economic realities, almost any enterprise to receive support for the purchase and implementation of PLM and MES solutions, and through the introduction of modern software products to increase their productivity, the quality of products produced, reduce the time for the development and launch of new products on the market, "says Fedor Lozhkin, Product Manager PROF-IT GROUP.

Separate areas, such as digital twins, AI and cloud platforms, held a small market share, but showed a high growth rate year-on-year. These solutions were concentrated by large industrial companies and state corporations and were more often at the stage of pilot or first industrial implementations. Their development reinforced the overall shift of the market from model-building tools to analysis, control, and optimization systems.

In general, enterprises are growing the level of digital maturity, they understand that it is no longer enough to provide employees with tools for creating and managing engineering information. It is necessary to constantly provide them with the most up-to-date software products that meet modern requirements. This desire is reflected in the road maps for the development of IT projects. The attitude is gradually changing: information technology is becoming the main means of production, which means it requires more attention, "says Dmitry Ginda, Marketing Director of CAD/AEC at ASCON.

The market structure in 2025 reflected the growing digital maturity of enterprises. Design automation has ceased to be the ultimate goal and has become the baseline. The main demand shifted to data management, integration of engineering and production circuits and replication of solutions, which was supported by both industry initiatives and government support measures. This provided growth in almost all segments, but at different rates and different contributions to the total market size.

The demand for Russian engineering software in 2025 was formed under the influence of a set of stable drivers that strengthened each other and gradually shifted the market from forced solutions to more systemic choice. Expert assessments agree that the decisive role was played not by one circumstance, but by a combination of regulatory pressure, economic calculations and changes in management perception of risks.

State regulation and legal requirements

Legislative norms have become a key structural driver of demand. In 2025, the requirements for the use of domestic software extended to new classes of engineering systems and industries, including critical infrastructure facilities and enterprises working with the state defense order. The classification of CAD, CAM, CAE and PDM as critical infrastructure elements has secured the mandatory transition to Russian solutions together with certified equipment and operating systems. For some companies, this removed the issue of choice and turned the transition into a legal obligation, not a strategic discussion.

"Foreign systems have never passed the quality of the source code and have not been certified by Russian authorities, despite their processing of sensitive information. In this regard, since 2022, there has been a systematic tightening of the requirements of legislation in the field of using engineering software. Now defense industry enterprises, especially those that work with the state defense order, are obliged to classify their CAD, CAM and CAE systems as critical infrastructure. This entails the need to use Russian hardware certified by the Ministry of Industry and Trade and Russian operating systems such as Astra Linux. In addition, the engineering software itself must have an appropriate certificate, "comments Andrei Karmishin, vice president of the National Computer Corporation for engineering.

In the construction sector, on which our company is focused, the impact of such regulation is somewhat less noticeable than, for example, in industry or the public sector. However, construction is diverse: it includes state order facilities and various infrastructure, part of which is critical. Projects for such facilities are directly affected by key regulations governing the use of exclusively Russian software. Let me remind you that the import substitution policy has been over ten years old. And, it would seem, its role should have already decreased, but complex processes within companies, especially those included in corporate structures, have led to the fact that foreign software is still widely used, - notes Maxim Nechiporenko, Deputy General Director of Renga Software, Advisor to the Minister of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media of the Russian Federation on BIM issues.

Import substitution as a fixed institutional process

Import substitution has ceased to be perceived as a temporary reaction to external restrictions. Despite the long term implementation of the policy, a significant share of companies until 2023-2024 retained foreign solutions due to the complexity of internal processes and the inertia of large corporate structures. In 2025, this inertia became a risk factor: the use of foreign software without updates and official support was increasingly seen as a vulnerability to business and infrastructure. As a result, import substitution has become entrenched as a long-term direction embedded in the strategy of technological sovereignty.

Foreign software in the current situation is purchased in an exceptional situation. The main competitor of domestic software is foreign "conditionally available" which is used without respect for copyright, as well as the software developed by the PRC, supplied with equipment from the PRC. Clients can be divided into 2 conditional groups, the first are dependent on budget funds, the second - earn on the market. The first group is more dependent on import substitution and legislative requirements, the second is more flexible and tries to use all opportunities to get the optimal result for minimal means, "says Leonid Tenyugo, head of the topogeodetic direction of CREDO-DIALOG.

Conscious digital sovereignty came to the fore. This is not just sanctions pressure, which has not gone anywhere, but the strategic decision of companies and the state to build an independent technological stack. Import substitution from a tactical task has become part of a long-term strategy. An important role is played by government programs: not only support for developers, but also the creation of guaranteed demand through the requirements for the use of domestic software in state-owned companies and construction. The legislation has become not a barrier, but a framework that sets the vector of development, - adds Sergei Sych, director of the product management department of Nanosoft.

Sanctions restrictions and degradation of the availability of foreign solutions

For companies that did not complete the transition earlier, 2025 was the point where access to cloud services, updates and technical support for a number of foreign products actually ceased. This increased the risk of operating such systems, especially at the junction of application software, operating systems and equipment. Under these conditions, even formally working foreign software began to be perceived as a source of potential failures and downtime.

Government Support and Subsidy Programs

Financial support measures maintained a noticeable scale and had a direct impact on demand. Implementation subsidies, training grants and participation in major industry projects have reduced the burden on customer budgets and accelerated transition decisions. For a number of segments, it was the presence of compensation for a significant part of the costs that made the projects economically justified and made it possible to launch replication of solutions outside the pilot sites.

The main factor in creating demand is the introduction EU USA in 2023-2024. ban on the supply of RUSSIAN FEDERATION software for design and production. An additional factor is measures to support the Russian government in the Russian Federation, ITindustries including Ministry of Digital Development the allocation of grants in 23, 24 and 25 for a total of 19, 10 and 19 billion rubles. respectively for the implementation of Russian IT solutions. The third most influential factor is the requirements for import substitution at facilities, CUES including the amendments made in 2025 to Federal Law 187 "On the Security of the Critical Information Infrastructure of the Russian Federation," obliging KII entities to use domestic software, Government of the Russian Federation and establish a transition period for such software, - comments Alexander Cherny, IT architect of the Technological Transformation practice Reksoft Consulting.

Unfortunately, state stimulation is still seen in many ways only in slogans, and things speak exactly the opposite. The chaotic regulation of the information modeling industry does not contribute to its growth. Import substitution is slow, because people accustomed to working on foreign products are trying to find a complete replacement for them. This does not contribute to the development of technical progress in the translation of information into computer-readable data. Until we find a factor that unites various areas, we will not see the necessary synergy, - said Mikhail Bocharov, Deputy General Director for Science of SiSoft Development JSC (part of SiSoft Group of Companies).

Full Life Cycle Economics and Cost Revision

In 2025, there was increased understanding of the total cost of ownership of software. When comparing the costs of licenses, support, training and the risks of informal use of Western products, Russian solutions increasingly looked comparable.

In some cases, Russian solutions turn out to be economically more profitable when taking into account the full life cycle (licenses, support, training), and the development of subscription and cloud access models reduces the entrance barrier, - said Nikolai Menshoy, head of Industrial Design, TX and Software Software Softline Solutions (Softline Group of companies).

Customer Maturity Growth and Technology Risk Management

A separate driver was a change in the management approach to IT infrastructure. Companies have begun to consider engineering software as a critical element of business continuity, requiring formal support, compatibility with updatable systems, and predictable development.

{{quote 'Software shall be updated to meet technical requirements, changing information security situation and updates for operating systems and drivers. Awareness of this significance leads to an understanding of the need to switch to domestic software. It is it that is officially available and supported.

Today, almost all foreign software has no access and operational technical support. And this is critical when failures occur at the junction of application software, operating systems and equipment. Thus, the company's maturity in assessing these risks itself becomes an incentive for the transition, "says Maxim Nechiporenko, Deputy General Director of Renga Software, Advisor to the Minister of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media of the Russian Federation on BIM issues.}}

Production tasks and pressure on labor productivity

In a number of industries, demand has increased due to an increase in production rates and the need to increase the efficiency of engineering and design processes. Decisions were made not only under the influence of regulators, but also based on the ability of domestic software to close complex production tasks and give a measurable performance effect.

Together, these factors formed a market where the demand for Russian engineering software in 2025 no longer relied on single bans or slogans, but on a combination of mandatory requirements, economic rationality and managed risks. It was this bundle that ensured the sustainability of demand and laid the foundation for its preservation in the medium term.

At the same time, economic, personnel and technological factors continued to negatively affect the market. They strengthened each other and formed a containment effect, in which even the presence of demand and state support does not always lead to the launch of large projects and the rapid scaling of domestic solutions.

Macroeconomic situation

Companies are delaying migration and comprehensive implementations, limited to pilots and local tasks. In industries with a long investment cycle, including construction and industrial design, this directly reduces the demand for engineering software. Additional pressure creates the need to finance the expansion of production capacities in parallel, which is why digitalization often fades into the background. At the same time, the impact of the rate is uneven: the development partially relies on state support, and the main blow falls on customers and their investment plans.

The high level of the key rate makes investments in software and related projects less accessible to the private sector. Even companies ready to switch to domestic software often postpone purchases and large-scale training programs until the financing conditions improve, and budget restrictions can slow down the launch of individual support measures, - comments Nikolai Menshoy, Head of Industrial Design, TX and Settlement Software Softline Solutions (Softline Group of Companies).

The main barrier to the development of the engineering software market is a change in the economic situation, confirmed by statistical data on a decrease in investments of Russian companies in fixed assets in the 2nd and 3rd quarters of 2025. The need to carry out additional spending on migration and training of personnel in the event of the introduction of domestic solutions is also a deterrent, - adds Alexander Cherny, IT architect of the Technological Transformation practice Reksoft Consulting.

Personnel barrier

The market is experiencing a shortage in several layers at once. There are not enough developers of complex mathematical cores and architects capable of working with knowledge-intensive systems. There is a limited number of implementers and integrators who understand the specifics of specific industries and know how to adapt software to real processes. On the part of customers, there are not enough engineers and methodologists who can formulate requirements for domestic products and work in new environments.

At the same time, a significant part of specialists is focused on Western systems, and retraining for Russian solutions requires time and resources. The educational system and corporate training only build this adaptation, so the personnel gap directly increases the timing and cost of projects.

If we talk about "IT specialists," technical writers and task managers for product development, solving engineering problems, there is a shortage of highly qualified specialists. That is, there are not enough qualified personnel who could clearly formulate the task to the programmer in accordance with the engineering task. This problem concerns many, even large Russian developers, - says Mikhail Bocharov, Deputy General Director for Science of SiSoft Development JSC (part of SiSoft Group of Companies).

Today there are many Juns on the market who do not have the necessary fundamental knowledge, and engineering software is a very knowledge-intensive area. Therefore, many developers establish a direct connection with higher education to help grow more trained specialists for real work. We at C3D Labs also opened an educational direction last year, and it already gives the first results, "adds Oleg Zykov, CEO of C3D Labs.

{{quote 'The main barriers are the key rate and the shortage of personnel. Developers are distributed among other technological solutions. Restrictions give a shortage of hardware, it restrains development, but this is compensated by various kinds of optimizations that our developers make, allowing them to compete even with foreign solutions, - said Sergei Redko, commercial director of the Digital Solutions business area of ​ ​ Icors. }}

Technological limitations

In a number of highly complex niches, domestic products do not yet provide complete functional replacement. This applies to multifysical calculations, microelectronics, composites, complex hydro- and aerodynamics. A separate limitation is the maturity of the ecosystem: cloud and mobile versions are developing, but so far they do not close all scenarios, and integration between CAD, calculation complexes, PLM and MES often requires improvements or custom solutions. This complicates the construction of end-to-end digital loops and restrains the use of the domestic stack in high-tech projects.

Limitations in functionality, performance, stability and compatibility remain, especially for highly loaded and highly specialized systems. Because of this, companies are acting cautiously - they are testing new solutions, switching to phased domestic software, imposing increased requirements for integration and information security. Now we are observing that many enterprises are continuously monitoring offers of affordable specialized software and its capabilities, "says Anton Kolosov, Commercial Director of ROXIT (part of KORUS Consulting Group of Companies).

Interoperability and Data Legacy Challenge

Over the decades of work of Western systems, companies have accumulated arrays of engineering information, which are difficult to transfer without loss of quality to Russian solutions due to differences in architecture and data models. Radical redesign of platforms for object-oriented approaches requires a lot of investment and carries risks for existing users, so this barrier remains and slows down migration.

Russian developers need, in fact, to rewrite their systems to ensure compatibility with the way engineering information was presented that was proposed by Western systems. This is the so-called object-oriented approach to the presentation of engineering data and it was the use of this approach that made it possible to significantly reduce costs for Russian enterprises. However, Russian companies with many years of history cannot afford such radical changes, as they need to maintain compatibility with existing installations and customers who have been using their products for decades. This problem is the main deterrent to the development of Russian engineering systems, - said Andrei Karmishin, vice president of the National Computer Corporation for engineering.

High level of piracy

Illegal use of foreign software reduces motivation for the transition to domestic products and distorts the competitive environment. In industry, this problem is weaker due to tighter IT control, but in general it reduces effective demand and slows down the development of the ecosystem.

If we consider engineering software, then in this segment we can distinguish two parts: civil engineering and industrial. In the construction segment, the share of piracy has always been significantly higher. This is due to the fact that the industrial segment is largely structured enterprises in holdings with IT services, security services and the developed habit of working in licensed, supported and maintained software. After the departure of foreign developers from the Russian market, despite the invariability of the legislation on the use of licensed software, many enterprises got the impression that now "everything is possible." This, of course, affects their decision to switch to Russian software. Some users continue to use foreign analogues illegally, - comments Maxim Nechiporenko, Deputy General Director of Renga Software, Advisor to the Minister of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media of the Russian Federation on BIM issues.

Fragmentation and insufficient coordination of developments

The closed developments and the lack of common repositories lead to duplication of efforts and spraying of limited resources. With small budgets and competition with global vendors, this reduces the pace of technological breakthrough and increases the effect of catch-up development.

Russian developers create science-intensive products for small budgets, competing with the global market of $25 + billion. To break through, you need an open-source hub and consolidation of developments, - said Anton Borodin, director of implementation and development of expertise at UltimaTek Group of Companies.

Collectively, these factors form a situation in which the development of engineering software is determined not by one narrow limitation, but by a complex bundle of economics, personnel and technologies. Removing individual barriers without systemic change has limited effect, while sustainable growth requires working simultaneously with the investment climate, specialist training, architectural maturity of solutions and market rules.

Market participants agree in assessing the general level of maturity of Russian CAD and PLM solutions as sufficient to close mass and typical engineering problems, but insufficient to fully parity with world leaders in knowledge-intensive and architecturally complex segments. In recent years, domestic products have confidently occupied the niches of 2D design, basic and medium 3D modeling, the release of design documentation and engineering data management. In these scenarios, they are either comparable to foreign counterparts, or actually dominate the domestic market due to better compliance with local standards and practices.

Russian PLM solutions confidently close the basic and advanced functions of managing data, coordination processes and design specifications. Their deep integration with Russian CAD is a key advantage. In the CAE/CAM/BIM segment, the landscape is more fragmented. There are strong niche players and solutions based on open-source cores. Their implementation requires high expertise, - comments Evgeny Mamaev, head of the design center of electronics ICL Services.

There are solutions that are as close as possible in terms of maturity. In particular, ASCON (Compass 3D, Pilot for PLM) and T-FLEX products in the field of CAD programs and CAD "GAMMA" among CAE platforms. Foreign products, for historical reasons, are still leading in terms of coverage and a range of opportunities, - says Roman Tikhonov, CEO of GAMMA Tech, ITG Corporation.

The attitude towards Russian CAD systems is ambiguous. We know for sure that these systems have reached a sufficiently mature level of development. We understand that the assessment on our part can be perceived as subjective, but we are familiar with our own capabilities and with the decisions of Russian and foreign colleagues. We can say that in some aspects we are more technologically advanced. This affects productivity, work with large models, and some of our solutions are more effective in terms of achieving results, - notes Maxim Nechiporenko, Deputy General Director of Renga Software, Advisor to the Minister of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media of the Russian Federation on BIM issues.

{{quote 'Russian CAD and PLM solutions have made significant progress in recent years and are already confidently closing the basic and average tasks of data design and management. In a number of application segments, they are competitive alternatives to foreign products. At the same time, in the most complex areas, such as developed CAE modules, high-precision modeling and large-scale PLM platforms, the lag behind world leaders remains. Nevertheless, key domestic vendors are consistently strengthening their positions in the domestic market and are beginning to go beyond it, "adds Dmitry Detenkov, head of CAD at SysSoft. }}

The gap with foreign solutions remains in areas where the depth of mathematical models, scalability and decades of applied experience are critical. These are primarily advanced CAE simulations, high-precision parametric and surface modeling, complex PLM circuits of the upper level, as well as CAD for the design of electronics.

In heavy industrial and infrastructure design, the situation is complicated by the fact that domestic systems began to actively develop significantly later than Western counterparts, which formed functionality and industry libraries for decades. An additional limitation is the need for integration with foreign ERPs and external ecosystems, where Russian solutions face barriers of interoperability.

Today, engineering software of the CAD, CAM, CAE, PDM and MES classes in Russia is inferior to Western counterparts in terms of architecture flexibility and functionality. This lag is a major obstacle to achieving parity with Western solutions. One of the key factors hindering the rapid development of Russian engineering systems is the need to ensure backward compatibility with existing installations. Many companies operating in the market for more than 30 years cannot afford radical changes in their products, as this will disrupt compatibility with their current customers. In this regard, we can expect the appearance on the market of a new large player who will develop PLM class systems from scratch, without reference to outdated architectures. This will create more modern and flexible solutions that can compete with Western counterparts, "said Andrei Karmishin, vice president of the National Computer Corporation for engineering.

At the same time, a stable pool of leaders has formed within the country, each of which is strong in its segment. The most mature solutions are in light and medium CAD, basic PLM and BIM for capital construction facilities, where a deep understanding of local processes and customer requirements played a role.

A significant factor in competitiveness was the focus on the practical needs of industry: functionality is increasingly developing through pilot projects with flagship enterprises and then transferred to mass versions of products. Fast update cycles and tight work with users partially compensate for the technological lag from foreign ecosystems with their more inertial release models.

The competitive landscape shifts from directly comparing individual products to ecosystem struggles. Vendors strengthen partner networks, integrator competencies and industry solutions, as they determine the success of implementations. At the same time, fragmentation increases: competition between domestic players often leads to the spraying of resources and duplication of developments, and the dependence of part of the solutions on foreign geometric cores and standards restrains architectural flexibility.

Separately, experts note the discrepancy between the formal share of Russian developers in the market and the actual level of use of domestic software. The widespread use of pirated foreign software reduces the real share of implementations to more modest values.

According to research data, the share of Russian software developers and integrators in 2024 in the segment of the engineering software market was 90%, which is explained by the departure of foreign manufacturers from the Russian market. Nevertheless, if we take into account the fairly common practice of using foreign-made pirated software, the real percentage of domestic solutions used by Russian companies can be estimated at 30-40%, "explains Alexander Cherny, IT architect of the Technological Transformation practice Reksoft Consulting.

In the long term, the key trend is the refusal to directly copy Western products in favor of developing solutions for the specific needs of the Russian manufacturer. This shift changes the logic of competition: focus shifts to creating applied value in a local context, which can become the basis for further growth in market maturity.

Today, customers are increasingly requesting not a single product, but a connected digital loop that covers design, calculations, data management, production planning, and integration with accounting systems. A single data model reduces lead time, simplifies changes, and reduces the risk of out-of-sync between departments.

Priorities are the effectiveness of the use of domestic software, built-in training and support mechanisms, support for Russian standards and the possibility of cross-disciplinary work of engineers in a single environment, - comments Nikolai Menshoy, Head of Industrial Design, TX and Calculation Software "Softline Solutions" (Softline Group of Companies).

If earlier customers demanded from vendors to do as it was "in their favorite Western product," now they say: let's make a common digital space together and see what ways of interoperability of data management can be improved, make them more effective, - says Mikhail Bocharov, Deputy General Director for Science of SiSoft Development JSC (part of SiSoft Group of Companies).

Indeed, there has been a trend towards long-term digitalization programs, including the introduction of PLM, PDM and SPDM systems, the introduction of the concept of an end-to-end digital design route and a "digital original." This trend is also visible in the largest exhibition events: Microelectronics, ITOPK, - adds Roman Tikhonov, CEO of GAMMA Tech, ITG Corporation.

In parallel, the difference in the maturity of individual market segments has intensified. In the field of CAD and BIM, key players and basic functionality in general have been determined, and pilot projects of past years are moving to scaling. Here, customer interest shifts from comparing total cost of ownership (TCO) capabilities, payback times, and performance impacts.

The high cost of financing and the revision of investment programs have strengthened attention to budgetary discipline and the role of implementation, training and support services.

The interest of customers is shifting from functional characteristics to issues of the economy of implementations and optimization of budgets, which is associated with the high cost of financing and the revision of investment programs, - explains Dmitry Detenkov, head of CAD at SysSoft.

In less mature areas, such as data and project management, the design nature of implementations, a high share of the service component and a noticeable dependence on vendors and integrators remain, since ecosystems and user communities are only being formed.

A significant factor was the strengthening of integration requirements. Enterprises are increasingly combining solutions from different developers, building their own design and control systems. Under these conditions, ensuring compatibility, end-to-end processes, and data manageability becomes key, rather than formally replacing one product with another. The same applies to the production loop, where there is growing interest in a combination of PLM, ERP, APS and MES for planning and management within workshops with a measurable production effect.

We see a significant increase in the priority for digital transformation of production processes at enterprises. Modeling of machining processes, casting and forging processes is increasingly being implemented using domestic IT solutions, and the quality of developed technological processes is also improving. We are actively implementing ERP-class systems that form a long-term and medium-term production plan. This set of factors leads to the need for digital transformation of processes within workshops at the junction of PLM, ERP and MDC systems. The main request of enterprises is the development of internal planning processes using APS/MES systems, which allows up to 15-20% to increase the productivity of products, - comments Alexander Romanov, Director of the Digital Transformation Department of Mechanical Engineering LANIT.

The demand for a strategic partnership has increased, in which the supplier is involved in the development of the platform and processes, and not limited to one-time delivery of licenses.

Companies are moving from urgent, often painful, substitution to building a long-term digitalization strategy. They are interested not just in software, but in a digital platform that will speed up the release of project documentation, improve the quality of projects and reduce costs. This is a request for a long-term strategic partnership, and not for delivery only in a certain period, "says Sergei Sych, director of product management at Nanosoft.

The issues of cybersecurity, resistance to loss of support, technological debt and the transition to a completely domestic stack, including Russian operating systems and Linux versions of engineering software, have become of additional importance.

The shortage of engineers and IT specialists limits the pace and depth of implementations, so customers pay attention to the built-in mechanisms of training, maintenance and lowering the entry threshold for users. Taken together, these changes show that the market as a whole has emerged from the emergency solutions phase and is moving towards a quieter but more complex job of building sustainable digital ecosystems where economic effect, integration and process manageability is more important than replacement speed.

Demand is shifting from individual engineering tools to related solutions built into the enterprise IT landscape. Customers are interested not so much in the presence of individual functions as in the ability of the software to work as part of the digital ecosystem, support end-to-end processes, collaboration and accumulated data.

Collaboration tools. The key remains the functions of teamwork with models and data, version control, negotiation routes, delimitation of roles and access rights, audit of actions. These capabilities are important for distributed teams and large organizations with multiple development centers.

Infrastructure flexibility of deployment. Customers evaluate not only the functionality, but also the options for placing the system. In practice, local deployment or private and hybrid clouds are more often chosen. Public SaaS models are used limited due to information security requirements and the sensitivity of engineering data.

Cloud scenarios for collaboration and storage. Interest in cloud versions is growing, primarily due to access to projects from different locations, synchronization of changes, backup and scaling of resources. At the same time, the functionality of cloud solutions is often inferior to desktop versions, and information security issues require a separate configuration.

Support for digital twins and life cycle modeling. Demand is created by projects in mechanical engineering, oil and gas and construction, where a combination of CAD, calculation systems, PLM and monitoring platforms or IoT is required. Such solutions allow you to link project data with the operation and analysis of the behavior of the facility.

Advanced design and simulation capabilities. Experts note the need for complex calculations, engineering simulations, digital tests and 1D/3D modeling. Simple 2D- and basic 3D tasks are already actively switching to domestic software, while heavy calculations and chains migrate more slowly due to the limitations of graphics cores and libraries.

Compatibility and communication during migration. In the context of the transition from foreign solutions, the tools for reading and writing native formats, the correct transfer of archives and developments, as well as data mapping tools between systems are important. This reduces the loss of accumulated engineering knowledge.

Web visualization and multi-platform access. There is a growing demand for viewing and analyzing 3D models in a browser without installing heavy client applications. This approach supports the transition of PDM and XIMS systems to the web and simplifies access for users on different platforms.

Automation of routine operations. Customers expect Russian solutions to automate calculations, standard operations and GOST documentation, as well as convert data into various formats. This reduces the burden on engineers and reduces the time required to prepare project documentation.

Using AI in application tasks. AI assistants are of interest for speeding up typical operations and data analysis. At the same time, AI is considered as a tool for supporting an engineer, and not as a replacement for key design and design functions.

Versatility and extensibility via API. In many industries, there is no single product that covers the full range of tasks. Therefore, open APIs are valued, the ability to embed the functions of one software into another and configure integration for specific production processes.

Mobile field applications. Mobile solutions are still used pointwise, mainly for inspections and work at facilities. At the same time, the demand for domestic mobile applications is gradually growing as ecosystems and use cases develop.

Stability, performance and support. For customers, the predictable operation of the system under load, high performance on real projects and the availability of technical support in Russian with an understandable support and licensing model are critical.

Functional parity with foreign counterparts. For many organizations, achieving a comparable level of functionality with the usual Western systems, primarily in desktop products, remains a priority. This condition is considered as a basis for the further development of cloud and mobile scenarios.

In 2025, several stable technological trends formed on the engineering software market in Russia, which will remain relevant in 2026.

AI technologies, digital twins, clouds and end-to-end circuits cease to be experiments and become part of everyday engineering practice.

Applied AI in engineering software

Artificial intelligence in engineering systems is shifting from experiments to applied scenarios. It is used to automate routine design, validate models and documentation, find and reuse solutions, and support multivariable optimization. AI reduces the burden on engineers and speeds up typical operations, but does not work autonomously. The industry focuses on verifiable and sustainable results rather than maximizing system independence.

The introduction of artificial intelligence can be attributed to promising areas in the development of computer-aided design systems. Examples of AI applications: automatic synthesis of typical structures and nodes with optimal parameters, that is, automation of routine engineering tasks; creation of surrogate models for multi-criteria multivariable optimization of complex structures in order to obtain products and devices with unique characteristics. In the first area, we can note the results of the company "50ohm technology" in the field of automatic synthesis of microwave IC nodes using AI. In the second area (optimization using AI) - the successes of the Federal Research Center of the National Research Center SB RAS for the optimal design of complex microwave electronics using AI, - comments Roman Tikhonov, General Director of GAMMA Tech, ITG Corporation.

The main trend is the search for the practical application of AI technologies in engineering processes. Almost every specialist already uses these capabilities in his daily tasks. The next technological challenge is the creation of digital assistants for designers and technologists. The first evidence of the effectiveness and applicability of solutions for engineers has appeared. In the coming years, we expect significant integration of solutions into real product development processes and an increase in the speed and quality of engineering results, "says Alexander Romanov, Director of the Department of Digital Transformation of LANIT Engineering.

AI/ML change the capabilities of systems primarily by reducing the number of "manual" operations and improving quality: they help to quickly find and reuse solutions, automatically check models and data (collisions, inconsistencies, correctness of attributes), speed up approvals and offer design/technology options based on given restrictions, - notes Anton Kolosov, Commercial Director of ROXIT (part of the KORUS Consulting Group of Companies).

The introduction of AI is happening, but so far it is not changing systems very much. And thank God, because these are all fashionable things. Fashion is very changeable, we need clear, sustainable solutions of a solid level that will work, and not generate data that needs to be checked a lot of time. Here we must approach the issue strategically. There are already such decisions, they act according to the method of counter checks, - said Mikhail Bocharov, Deputy General Director for Science of SiSoft Development JSC (part of SiSoft Group of Companies).

Digital twins in industrial operation

Digital twins move from concept to working tool. Information modeling becomes the basis for combining geometry, physical properties, simulation models, and operational data. The combination of CAD, CAE, PLM and monitoring systems allows you to use twins for diagnosis, prediction and optimization, primarily in oil and gas, power and complex production complexes. Scaling solutions constrain data quality, infrastructure, and information security requirements.

The market is moving to a model where AI and digital twins are seen as tools to improve process performance and manageability rather than a showcase of technology. The main industry request is to integrate these solutions into the actual design and production contours while maintaining control, verifiability and compliance with safety requirements. Focus shifts from demonstrating capabilities to a systemic and cost-effective application.

There are high expectations in the market for the use of AI, but so far the level of technology is not high enough. It is from the point of view of a practical application to engineering in mechanical engineering and construction, from the point of view of helping an engineer in making constructive and other professional decisions, and not in finding reference information. Both in Russia and in the world as a whole. We monitor the development of technology and conduct joint research on the use of AI in engineering with the largest Russian IT companies, "says Dmitry Ginda, Marketing Director of CAD/AEC at ASCON.

End-to-End Utility Loop

Engineering systems are built into a single digital circuit, where PDM, PLM and TIM/BIM act as the core of integration with ERP, MES and EAM. This changes the requirements for engineering software: compatibility, open interfaces and collaboration support come to the fore. Engineering data is used throughout the product and facility lifecycle, not just in design.

Cloud and Hybrid Engineering Platform Models

The market is moving away from isolated desktop applications to browser and distributed solutions. Cloud and hybrid delivery models simplify data access and team collaboration. Competition between vendors is shifting from feature set to collaboration convenience, connection speed, and access management, with the cloud increasingly seen as part of a hybrid architecture rather than a universal replacement for local systems.

{{quote 'Many developers are conducting projects to create fully functional cloud versions of CAD and TIM systems, as well as cloud modes for settlement complexes; it is expected that in the coming years it is cloud functionality and collaboration support that will become one of the key zones of competition, "explains Nikolai Menshoy, Head of Industrial Design, TX and Software Softline Solutions (Softline Group of Companies). }}

Point clouds and IFC as the basis of spatial data

The role of point clouds and 3D models in IFC format is growing in engineering surveys and work with the territory. The availability of scanning equipment and the increase in data accuracy are changing the standard scenarios for field and office work. Comparing design models with actual geometry, obtaining detailed surfaces, and calculating volumes become daily practice.

{{quote "The use of neural networks and AI in software for processing point clouds and photo images reduces the time for office data processing, which reduces the cost of work and allows you to compete more in the market of work performed. For this reason, software working in the direction of research and design should develop in this direction, - comments Leonid Tenyugo, head of the topogeodetic direction of CREDO-DIALOG. }}

Engineering Software Support for Russian Operating Systems

As Oleg Zykov, CEO of C3D Labs, notes, in the near future it will become a prerequisite for entering the register of domestic software. Further, support for Russian hardware platforms such as Elbrus or Baikal will also become more and more relevant. All this requires significant investment from software developers.

In general, the market is moving towards a pragmatic development model, where AI technologies and digital twins are perceived not as an end in itself, but as tools to increase the performance and controllability of engineering processes. The industry's primary request is to integrate these solutions into real-world design and production loops while maintaining control and compliance with safety requirements. It is in this direction that engineering software will develop in 2026, shifting the focus from demonstrating the possibilities for their systemic and economically justified use.

Expert estimates agree that the engineering software market in 2026-2027 will maintain growth, but the pace will be heterogeneous and directly depend on macroeconomic conditions. The range of forecasts is wide: from a moderate 10% per year to a cumulative growth of 25-30% over the period. More restrained scenarios rely on the high cost of money and the caution of customers who, with expensive financing, postpone large projects or split them into stages. Optimistic estimates are associated with the preservation of a tough import substitution policy and investments in industrial modernization, primarily in sectors with state demand.

The projected growth of the engineering software market for 2026-2027 will be about 10-15% per year. The factors determining the dynamics are the macroeconomic situation and the reduction of the key rate. Promising areas will be product data management systems and MES systems, which will be in demand to increase the efficiency of discrete production, - says Sergei Redko, commercial director of the Digital Solutions business area of ​ ​ Icors.

The key factor in the dynamics remains the key rate trajectory. With its decline, companies are ready to move from pilot implementations to large-scale digitalization programs, which directly supports the demand for complex engineering platforms. While maintaining a high rate, financial calculations often add up in favor of passive instruments rather than IT projects, which restrains the market even if there is a technological need. Against this background, experts estimate the value of macroeconomic stabilization higher than the effect of individual support measures.

{{quote 'In the coming years, the market will grow by 25-30%. The dynamics will be determined by the continuation of import substitution through state requirements for import substitution, the refusal of international companies to work in Russia and the modernization of the military-industrial complex, "said Roman Tikhonov, General Director of GAMMA Tech, ITG Corporation. "We expect the average annual growth rate of the market at the level of 12-18%. The dynamics will be determined by macroeconomic stabilization and a potential decrease in the key rate, deepening import substitution in the segments of engineering software and complex industry solutions, the evolution of state support (new quotas, industry programs), - comments Evgeny Mamaev, head of the design center of electronics ICL Services. }}

Of course, the macroeconomic situation and the key rate strongly restrain the implementation of IT solutions. In the financial and economic justification of projects for clients, we often face the fact that putting money in a bank at a percentage is more profitable than investing in digitalization - and this negatively affects the market. At the same time, the successes of key projects stimulate development: leading vendors are refining software for industries. For example, TOP Systems at AvtoVAZ scale T-FLEX for the automotive industry, and CSoft at USC creates heavy CAD for shipbuilding. There are many such examples, but the bottom line is that their success will launch a wave of replication. By this time, each vendor should have an army of integrators ready to quickly scale solutions, "says Anton Borodin, director of implementation and development of expertise at UltimaTek Group of Companies.

Import substitution continues to play a systemic role, but its character is changing. We are talking not only about replacing departed foreign products, but also about the development of industry solutions based on Russian platforms that better take into account the specifics of industry. Strengthening regulatory requirements, reducing the share of foreign software and increasing confidence in domestic developments form a steady demand, especially where projects have already proven their performance and have begun to be replicated through a network of integrators.

Rapid growth is expected in the segments related to production management and data. These include MES and QMS, digital twins, modeling platforms, TIM/BIM and solutions at the junction of engineering software and production systems. These directions benefit from a direct link with increased efficiency, as well as from interest in complex, data-centric ecosystems instead of disparate tools. An additional impetus is given by AI modules, automation of modeling and the development of common data environments, which expand the value of already implemented software.

The most promising areas are PDM/PLM, TIM/BIM and automation of modeling, including AI tools: they are the key sources of market growth in industry estimates in the coming years. Already in many sectors of the economy, complex digital counterparts of key production sites and processes are used. I believe that this is also one of the promising areas for improving the efficiency of production management, which will develop in 2026-2027, - notes Anton Kolosov, Commercial Director of ROXIT (part of KORUS Consulting Group of Companies).

Classic CAD, calculation complexes and PLM/PDM will generally maintain positive dynamics, but the pace here will be more restrained. High license costs, project complexity, and long implementation cycles limit growth rates, especially in PLM. At the same time, in some industries, such solutions remain the core of digital transformation, and cloud models and services for renting computing resources for engineering calculations gradually reduce the entry threshold.

The future lies with those who can offer not a set of programs, but a holistic data-driven ecosystem for a digital enterprise. In the near future, we expect a further reduction in the share of software of foreign origin due to a set of measures, including tightening control, the development of available license models and increasing user awareness. These changes will take place against the background of the ongoing technological improvement of Russian software, which will allow it not only to replace foreign analogues, but also to offer competitive solutions that are not inferior in functionality and reliability, - comments Sergei Sych, Director of the Product Management Department of Nanosoft.

At the same time, against the background of a possible change in the sanctions environment, the expert community will begin to discuss the potential return of global players, which may gradually affect the competitive environment and market structure, - said Dmitry Detenkov, head of CAD at SysSoft.

In the medium term, the drivers in the baseline scenario will remain industrial demand, data and the integration of engineering tools with production management.

The engineering software market has moved to systematic development. The main contribution to revenue is provided by the expansion of the use of already implemented solutions, the development of PDM/PLM loops, integration with BIM, MES and other systems, as well as scaling projects in large organizations.

The key customers are still the public sector and companies with state participation, primarily in industry and defense industry. At the same time, the requirements of companies for functionality, stability and support have grown markedly: the market is gradually being cleared of experimental implementations and is focused on long-term operation.

In the coming years, growth will depend not so much on the number of new implementations as on the depth of use of engineering software, the development of ecosystems around key platforms and the ability of vendors to close complex engineering tasks. This makes the market more mature but simultaneously raises competition and the entry threshold for new players.