Simulation Key to Future Engineering

Whether it be racing cars, medical systems, or aircraft, the ability for companies to model and perform simulation of physical, thermal, and electrical characteristics is having a profound impact on design engineering. Simulation is enabling engineers to more reliably predict system behavior and test more parameters to optimize performance and other system characteristics. It is reducing the need for costly reengineering later in the design cycle and helping cut overall design time.

Last month, electronics design tool company Ansys held several days of webinars discussing the benefits of simulation and delving into best practices to help engineers make the best use of simulation tools. Various speakers gave numerous examples of simulation being employed in the development of complex systems where building working prototypes can become complicated.

Walt Hearn, Senior VP of Sales for Ansys, said during one session that in the automotive sector, simulation played a key role in helping slash program development time in one project from 52 to 24 months. “It is impossible to rely on physical testing alone,” Hearn said.

Peter Frye, Space Applications Manager at Westinghouse eVinci Microreactor, said during another presentation that the use of simulation was vital to developing a nuclear reactor for spacecraft that provides continuous power, without having to rely on solar energy. Simulation tools helped the company model the liquid fuel profiles for the reactor, and allowed full electrical testing before any fuel is put into the system. In addition, the ability to provide continuous on-demand power was important on the moon’s surface to deal with prolonged periods of darkness where no solar energy is available.

Related:Could Simulation Advance Your Testing Programs?

In another webinar session, Murat Becer, Vice President of Research and Development at Ansys, spoke about the use of simulation to model the development of 3D ICs, which are becoming more popular as design engineers seek to pack more functions into circuits. Becer noted that issues such as power integrity, thermal behavior, signal integrity, and IC structural issues are connected, meaning that changes in one area inevitably affect the other parameters. Becer noted that Ansys has modeled the behavior for all of these factors, enabling design engineers to more easily optimize 3D IC designs.

Not surprisingly, Ansys is also leveraging its tools for artificial intelligence. The company recently announced a partnership with chipmaker Nvidia to develop next-generation simulation solutions powered by accelerated computer and generative AI. The expanded collaboration will fuse cutting-edge technologies to advance 6G technologies, supercharge Ansys solvers via NVIDIA GPUs, integrate NVIDIA AI into Ansys software offerings, develop physics-based digital twins, and customize large language models (LLMs) developed with NVIDIA AI foundry services. 

Related:Red Bull Racing Employs Ansys Simulation to Help Win F1 Races