MathWorks has announced the Release 2026a (R2026a) of its MATLAB and Simulink product families, bringing new artificial intelligence capabilities to embedded systems development. The latest release introduces Simulink Copilot and Polyspace Copilot, designed to help engineering teams accelerate workflows while maintaining design accuracy, traceability, and consistency.
The update focuses on strengthening productivity across development cycles, enabling engineers to design faster, detect issues earlier, and streamline the transition from development to verification and production. With these enhancements, teams can improve efficiency without compromising engineering discipline.
MathWorks is advancing AI integration in two key ways. The company has embedded copilots directly into widely used environments such as MATLAB, Simulink, and Polyspace. In addition, it has enabled integration into agent-based workflows through MATLAB MCP Core Server and the MATLAB Agentic Toolkit. These advancements allow teams to better understand system designs, identify issues earlier, and apply standardized workflows across projects.
Simulink Copilot is designed to support Model-Based Design by offering contextual guidance based on existing models, engineering processes, and documentation. It can generate model explanations, respond to queries about system behavior, and help users locate relevant components within complex models. By identifying issues and suggesting corrective actions, it enables faster progress in design tasks while supporting consistent development practices.
The release also introduces Polyspace Copilot along with Polyspace as You Code. These tools assist engineers in interpreting static analysis results, identifying software defects, and resolving issues efficiently. Developers can now check C and C++ code for compliance and vulnerabilities as they write it, including code generated using AI-assisted tools. This approach helps strengthen software quality throughout the development lifecycle.
Additional updates across the Polyspace suite include a unified desktop application for configuration and results management, expanded capabilities in Bug Finder with custom coding standards, and enhanced runtime error detection through dynamic analysis tools. Together, these features create a more cohesive workflow for software testing and verification.
R2026a also delivers several new and upgraded capabilities, including MATLAB Course Designer for academic use, Simulink FMU Builder for model integration, improved Python interoperability, streamlined simulation features, and enhanced toolboxes for wireless networks, mapping, and signal processing.
MathWorks is a global leader in mathematical computing software. Its flagship products, MATLAB® and Simulink®, are essential tools for engineers and scientists engaged in algorithm development, data analytics, visualization, and simulation. These tools are widely used across industries such as automotive, aerospace, electronics, communications, and industrial automation. Founded in 1984 and headquartered in Natick, Massachusetts, MathWorks employs over 6,500 professionals across 34 international offices. Its platforms are also widely adopted in academic and research institutions around the world, supporting a new generation of engineers and innovators.
