This research charts the path forward for Foundation Models (FMs) in Cyber-Physical Systems engineering, highlighting untapped potential beyond just Large Language Models.

• Current FM applications in CPS engineering remain limited and LLM-focused
• Significant opportunities exist with other FMs like vision-language models
• Research roadmap addresses unique CPS challenges including physical-world interactions and safety-critical requirements
• Proposes multi-modal approaches that better align with CPS complexity

For engineering teams, this work provides critical direction on how next-generation AI tools can address the complex, multi-domain challenges of modern CPS development, potentially transforming testing, verification, and system integration.

Foundation Models for Software Engineering of Cyber-Physical Systems: the Road Ahead