Digital ceramics: A review bridging process, structure, properties, and performance through computational design

Computational design is redefining how ceramic parts are conceived, fabricated, and optimized. Traditionally constrained by brittleness and complex processing, ceramics are entering a digital paradigm in which design algorithms and additive manufacturing jointly control structure and function. This review presents computational design as a unifying framework linking process parameters, geometry, microstructure, and performance in architected ceramics. By integrating simulation, optimization, and data-driven modelling, ceramic components can now be engineered so that architecture, rather than composition alone, governs properties. We examine the evolution from topology and field-driven optimization to generative and AI assisted approaches, highlighting their impact across mechanical, thermal, and functional applications. Attention is given to closed-loop workflows connecting design, manufacturing, and validation. Multiscale modelling, limited data availability, and process integration, are discussed alongside emerging opportunities such as physics-informed artificial intelligence and digital twins. These advances position ceramics within a new, fully integrated, process–structure–property–performance design space.