1a is building AI software for hardware engineering, starting with rocket engines.

Our thesis

Hardware is increasingly limited by the software used to engineer it.

CAD and simulation tools have become far more capable. The process of moving a design through them is still slow and manual.

A small design change can create hours of downstream work before an engineer knows whether the new version is better.

We think AI can change that workflow.

The problem

Take one dimension on a rocket-engine part.

The engineer changes it in CAD.

The mesh may need to be rebuilt. Loads and boundary conditions may need to be checked again. The simulation runs again. The engineer reads the results and decides what to change next.

Then the cycle starts again.

Today, the engineer is responsible for carrying the problem through that entire chain.

What we're building

1a works across the engineering process.

Given the requirements for a part, it can create and modify geometry, prepare the engineering model, run simulations, interpret the results, and propose the next design change.

Engineers review the work and make the engineering decisions.

1a also keeps the reasoning behind the design.

If someone asks why a wall is 3 mm thick, they should be able to see the requirement and analysis behind that choice.

The same record can support manufacturing and design review with drawings, tolerances, analysis results, and verification evidence.

Why rocket engines

Rocket engines bring several engineering disciplines together in one tightly coupled system.

Fluid flow, combustion, heat transfer, structures, manufacturing, and testing all affect the design.

That makes them a demanding place to build 1a.

Why we're doing this

We want to build ambitious hardware faster.

Too much time is lost rebuilding analysis and moving work between engineering tools after every design change.

1a is the software we want to use ourselves.