 Selective laser melting SLM is a widely used and adaptable technique for manufacturing metallic parts due to its ability to create complex geometries making it particularly useful in demanding industries such as aerospace and automotive. Improving this process requires a better understanding of laser metal interactions which can be achieved through numerical modeling. This review focuses on the interaction between powder and metal in SLM, specifically on powder-scale modeling and simulation to understand the relationship between powder and part. The review highlights advancements in virtual powder bed generation and multi-physics computations as well as process optimization with metamodelling and machine learning. This article was authored by Abdel Krim Buabu and Sebastian Vaudrell.