[DigitalToday reporter Chi-gyu Hwang] Dassault Systemes is changing the software sales model it has maintained for decades.

The company will move away from charging based on the number of users and shift to a structure that charges based on performance and value created by artificial intelligence (AI).

SiliconANGLE reported on March 20 that Pascal Daloz (파스칼 달로즈), CEO of Dassault Systemes, said this when he met reporters at a recent company event.

Dassault Systemes decided that user-count-based billing no longer fits an environment in which virtual users that work instead of people, or alongside them, are increasing, such as AI agents and its in-house 'AI companion.'

The core of the shift strategy is the 'virtual twin.' A virtual twin, a digital replica of a real object, supports design, testing and modification work while significantly reducing the cost and time of building physical models.

Daloz said, "Because the value created by this is large enough, customers will be willing to pay based on performance rather than traditional standards."

The new pricing system is built around the concept of 'units.' It combines three types: 'knowledge units' that reflect the level of the AI companion, 'know-how units' that indicate specialization in professional areas, and 'work units' that are linked to actual usage, with costs charged based on the combination.

Dassault Systemes is also reviewing a performance-based charging model. Daloz said, "The goal is to charge fees based on the value of outputs automatically designed by the software."

He also cited a case in which the company charged part of the engineering cost savings, rather than using seat count, for an automobile headlamp automatically designed with a virtual twin. Daloz said, "The virtual twin is becoming a kind of currency," and stressed that the company will shift from selling access to software toward monetising intellectual property (IP) and performance created by the platform.