Mazda Uses AI to Standardize Vehicle Design Reviews

On November 4, SOLIZE Ureka Technology Corporation (SOLIZE Ureka), based in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, and part of the SOLIZE Holdings Group, announced an initiative with Mazda Motor Corporation to improve and stabilize the quality of design work within Mazda's vehicle development process. The initiative focuses on visualizing the thought processes and decision-making criteria that experienced specialists use when identifying design requirements. By incorporating these insights into design reviews, the companies aim to reduce the risk of overlooked requirements and make review quality less dependent on individual developers' experience and skills.

As part of the initiative, the project team analyzed how experienced experts approach design-related decisions and clarified the criteria they apply when extracting requirements. The team subsequently defined the information that should be included in design documentation and standardized the formats used to record it. This approach establishes a more consistent framework for capturing expert knowledge and applying it during design reviews, helping improve the reliability and consistency of the vehicle development process.

The initiative also established a system for continuously accumulating high-quality information that can be reused across the organization. To support the consistent application and management of this knowledge, SOLIZE Ureka and Mazda are utilizing SpectA DKM, a knowledge management AI solution provided by SOLIZE Ureka. The solution supports the organizational use of accumulated expertise, allowing documented decision-making criteria and standardized design information to be leveraged beyond the individuals who originally developed that knowledge. The initiative is intended to support consistent design review practices throughout Mazda's organization.

Industry Impact & Outlook

The initiative highlights the role of artificial intelligence and structured knowledge management in improving automotive engineering processes. By converting experienced specialists' decision-making criteria into standardized documentation and reusable organizational knowledge, Mazda is addressing the challenge of maintaining consistent design review quality across its vehicle development activities. The approach also demonstrates how knowledge management solutions such as SpectA DKM can support the systematic preservation and application of engineering expertise. Its organizational value lies in reducing dependence on individual experience while establishing a repeatable framework for identifying and reviewing design requirements.

Frequently Asked Questions

What initiative did Mazda and SOLIZE Ureka implement?
Mazda and SOLIZE Ureka implemented an initiative to improve and stabilize the quality of design work within Mazda's vehicle development process. The initiative focuses on visualizing the thought processes and decision-making criteria used by experienced experts when identifying design requirements. These insights are incorporated into design reviews to reduce the risk of overlooked requirements and improve consistency. The approach also aims to make design review quality less dependent on the individual experience or skills of specific developers.

How does the initiative improve Mazda's design review process?
The initiative improves Mazda's design review process by making expert decision-making criteria more visible and systematically incorporating them into design activities. The project team analyzed the thought processes of experienced specialists to clarify how they identify design requirements. It then defined the information that should be included in design documentation and standardized the documentation formats. These measures help establish a consistent approach to reviewing design requirements and reduce the possibility of important requirements being overlooked during the development process.

What is SpectA DKM, and how is it being used?
SpectA DKM is a knowledge management AI solution provided by SOLIZE Ureka and utilized in the initiative with Mazda. It supports the continuous accumulation and organizational use of high-quality, reusable information. The solution helps make documented expert knowledge and standardized design information available for consistent application across the organization. Its role in the initiative is to support the systematic management and reuse of knowledge gathered through the analysis of experienced specialists' decision-making processes.

How did the project team capture experts' knowledge?
The project team captured experts' knowledge by analyzing the thought processes of seasoned specialists and clarifying the decision-making criteria they use when extracting design requirements. Based on this analysis, the team established what information should be recorded in design documentation and standardized the formats used. The initiative also introduced a system for continuously accumulating high-quality information that can be reused. These measures help transform individual expertise into structured organizational knowledge that can support consistent design reviews.

What is the main objective of standardizing design reviews?
The main objective is to improve and stabilize design review quality while reducing dependence on individual developers' experience and skills. By making expert decision-making criteria accessible and incorporating them into standardized documentation and review processes, the initiative helps reduce the risk of overlooking design requirements. It also establishes a framework for accumulating and reusing high-quality information throughout the organization. This supports a more consistent approach to evaluating design requirements within Mazda's vehicle development process.