Introduction
MATLAB has long been the go-to environment for engineers, scientists, and researchers seeking to model complex systems and bring ideas to life. But as the landscape of technical computing shifts toward the cloud, open source and web-native workflows, MathWorks is meeting the moment with one of its most significant updates yet.
In a recent podcast interview, we explored the motivation, execution, and long-term vision behind the MATLAB 2025a release with Michelle Hirsch, the long-time steward of MATLAB’s product strategy ("unofficial head of Matlabiness" at MathWorks).
This blog goes over the wide-ranging conversation that covers everything from dark mode and a reimagined desktop experience to deep cloud integration and open source interoperability. But more than just a feature update, what unfolds is a strategic realignment of MATLAB’s purpose and platform - a shift designed to meet the evolving needs of modern engineers, researchers, and enterprise teams for the next decade and beyond.
MATLAB’s Expanding Role From Academia to Industry
Over the past decade, MATLAB has undergone a profound transformation, shifting from a prototyping tool favored by academic researchers to a cornerstone platform used in high-assurance, industrial-grade applications. Today, MATLAB powers critical systems in autonomous vehicles, aerospace, robotics, and medical devices, thanks to its ability to blend engineering intuition with professional software development rigor.
“We're seeing professional-grade software development workflows become the norm in MATLAB,” said Michelle, highlighting features such as GitHub integration, automated unit testing, static analysis, and project-based source control that align MATLAB with modern DevOps practices.
What’s remarkable is that this evolution hasn’t come at the cost of usability. MATLAB continues to stand out for its approachable syntax, interactive workflows, and visual modeling tools, making it equally valuable for a first-year engineering student as for a seasoned developer working on mission-critical embedded code.
Responding to the Community: Finally in Dark Mode
A common criticism of MathWorks has been a lack of transparency around its product roadmap. Michelle acknowledged this by saying: “That’s fair… we haven’t been great at communicating how user voices are reflected in what we’re doing.” One major way they're changing that is by listening more closely through community advisory boards, feedback buttons, and beta programs.
And yes, dark mode is finally here. It's more than a UI polish: it represents a deep overhaul of the entire desktop and graphics architecture. Every icon was redesigned, and every system re-evaluated. “That was a massive amount of work,” Michelle shared, “but it sets us up for the future.”
The Web: MATLAB’s Newest Platform
One of the most eye-opening shifts in recent years is the surge in browser-based usage: MATLAB Online reached 2.8 million users last year, surpassing the combined total of Linux and macOS desktop users. This trend has catalyzed a major architectural change within MATLAB.
Historically, the desktop environment relied on Java to support cross-platform functionality. But as browser-native workflows and cloud-first development became the norm, Java's limitations as a UI framework became more apparent, especially for building seamless web experiences.
In response, MATLAB is now transitioning to modern web technologies like JavaScript and HTML. This move enables the development and maintenance of a unified codebase across all platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux, and the web, streamlining both feature delivery and user experience.
Here are some practical advantages of MATLAB’s Web shift:
- No-Install Access: Use the full power of MATLAB directly in your browser (no downloads or installations needed).
- Cloud-Integrated Workflows: Seamlessly integrate MATLAB into modern environments like Jupyter, Docker, Domino, and Databricks for scalable, data-proximate computing.
- Consistent Cross-Platform Interface: Whether on Windows, macOS, Linux, or the web, the experience remains uniform. Layouts, toolbars, and interactive panels behave consistently across all platforms.
The image below demonstrates MATLAB Online in action, offering a fully featured, desktop-like experience within a standard browser tab. It's a clear reflection of how user needs are driving MATLAB’s evolution toward greater accessibility and platform independence.
Cloud Flexibility with Real-World Tradeoffs
Moving to the cloud offers more than convenience, as it enables scalable, flexible, and secure workflows. Engineers can now run MATLAB closer to where their data resides, whether that’s in cloud-native platforms like Databricks, Domino Data Lab, or other high-performance computing environments. This proximity reduces data transfer bottlenecks and enables faster, more efficient processing of large datasets.
However, this transition isn't without its challenges. Legacy workflows, especially those reliant on local file systems or tools like Excel, often need to be re-engineered for cloud compatibility. In some cases, teams must rethink how data is accessed, manipulated, or visualized, particularly when security or IT policies restrict local data handling.
To ease the transition, MathWorks has invested heavily in hybrid cloud–desktop support, offering a range of options that preserve flexibility. Features like cloud-integrated license management are now available, but crucially, fully offline setups remain supported. This ensures that industries with strict data governance requirements such as aerospace, defense, and healthcare can still operate within secure, air-gapped environments while benefiting from cloud-era enhancements elsewhere in their workflow.
Other Key Enhancements in the New Desktop
The R2025a release introduces a suite of productivity-focused updates that enhance the way users interact with the MATLAB environment, whether they’re coding, collaborating, or visualizing data.
- Smarter Window Management: A redesigned interface makes it easier to focus by allowing users to collapse, rearrange, and customize panels based on their workflow.
- Consolidated Figure Windowing: Instead of opening multiple separate windows, plots now appear as tabs within a unified container, making it easier to manage and compare visual outputs.
- Enhanced Projects and Source Control: New side panels simplify version control, streamline project organization, and improve collaboration, ideal for team-based or long-term development.
- Live Markdown Preview: Markdown editing in the MATLAB Editor now includes live previews with syntax highlighting, making it perfect for documenting code or preparing GitHub-ready content.
- Interactive Toolstrip for Figures: A new ribbon-style toolstrip embedded in figure windows enables users to fine-tune visualizations with point-and-click ease, while automatically generating the corresponding reproducible code.
MATLAB’s new desktop features customizable sidebars on all sides, theme options, and a built-in search bar for quick access to apps, settings, help, and examples.
A Unified Platform for a Faster, Open Future
With the release of the new MATLAB Desktop, MathWorks has drawn a clear line in the sand: there's no rollback option to the old UI - a decision Michelle admits was tough. “We explored every option, but it came down to quality and focus,” she explained. This deliberate shift marks the end of the Java-based UI era, allowing the development team to focus entirely on a single, modern interface. While maintaining two frontends had benefits for backward compatibility, it ultimately slowed progress. Consolidating the desktop enables faster innovation, improved testing, and a more cohesive user experience across all platforms.
This unified architecture also supports a broader strategic goal: greater interoperability. While MATLAB remains a proprietary environment, MathWorks is increasingly embracing open-source standards and tooling. Deep integration with Python, Docker, and APIs like the Language Server Protocol makes it easier than ever to incorporate MATLAB into multi-language workflows, containerized applications, and cloud-native development pipelines.
Looking ahead, this architectural shift unlocks the potential for faster, more flexible release cycles. With one streamlined codebase serving desktop and web users alike, features can be shipped more quickly, sometimes even outside of MATLAB’s traditional six-month release cadence. Users will retain control over when to adopt changes, but the underlying system is now primed for greater agility, scalability, and responsiveness.
Conclusion
With the 2025a release, MATLAB takes a significant step forward - introducing cloud-native flexibility, a modernized user interface, and a development cycle designed for faster, more adaptive updates. Behind the sleek new interface and long-awaited features like dark mode lies a deeper architectural shift: MATLAB is now poised to meet the expectations of today’s web-savvy, collaborative, and increasingly cloud-based engineering teams.
The insights from Michelle’s conversation highlight something important: this transformation wasn’t just a technological necessity, but a user-driven evolution. From student beginners to professionals in regulated industries, MATLAB is becoming more inclusive, more open, and more future-ready.
If you haven’t already explored the new desktop or MATLAB Online, now’s the time. Try it out, share your feedback, and be part of shaping what MATLAB becomes next!
