The American metal casting industry faces unprecedented challenges in technology, economics, workforce development, and sustainability. At the same time, advances in Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME) and the rapid emergence of artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) are creating transformative opportunities for the digital design and smart manufacturing of metal castings. The 2027 Hoyt Memorial Lecture will highlight recent advances in cast alloy design and process innovation enabled by the ICME framework. Case studies will demonstrate how ICME, coupled with AI/ML, accelerates casting development, optimizes manufacturing processes, and improves the prediction of microstructure, defects, and mechanical properties. The lecture will also discuss strategies for workforce development in the era of digital manufacturing and explore how the integration of physics-based ICME with data-driven AI/ML can address critical industry challenges. By leveraging these complementary technologies, the metal casting industry can enhance innovation, productivity, and sustainability, paving the way for a more resilient and globally competitive future.

Alan Luo is Distinguished University Professor, Donald D. Glower Chair in Engineering, and Professor of Materials Science and Engineering and Integrated Systems Engineering at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. He leads the Lightweight Materials and Manufacturing Research Laboratory (LMMRL) and serves as Director of the Advanced Casting Research Center (ACRC) at Ohio State. Professor Luo is a member of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI). He is also a Fellow of The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society (TMS), SAE International (SAE), and ASM International (ASM). Before joining Ohio State in 2013, he spent 15 years at the General Motors Global Research and Development Center in Warren, Michigan, where he served as a GM Technical Fellow. Professor Luo holds 28 patents and has authored more than 420 technical publications in advanced materials, innovative manufacturing, and Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME). Professor Luo has received many industrial and academic awards including the TMS Bruce Chalmers Award, ACRC Merton Flemings Award for Scientific Achievements, GM John Campbell Awards and Charles McCuen Awards, as well as several best paper awards and application awards from American Foundry Society (AFS), North American Die Casting Association (NADCA), and International Magnesium Association (IMA).