Pushing the boundaries of ship design and simulation with Generative AI
Siemens Digital Industries Software and Compute Maritime are collaborating to transform the future of ship design, powered by generative artificial intelligence (AI) and cutting-edge technology.
Why is there a need for Generative AI in the marine industry today?
Adopting new fuel types and energy-saving devices can significantly reduce emissions and improve fuel efficiency. But here’s the catch: not all existing ships can accommodate these new technologies, as they were not designed to. To fully leverage these advancements, we must build new ships from the ground up, integrating these innovations right from the start.
At Siemens, we are committed to driving innovation and excellence in the maritime industry. Our collaboration with Compute Maritime focuses on integrating their flagship vessel design and optimization platform, NeuralShipper, with our Simcenter STAR-CCM+ software for Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD).
“Our collaboration with Compute Maritime represents a paradigm shift in maritime design,” says Dmitry Ponkratov, our marine director for Simulation and Test Solutions. “The combination of NeuralShipper and Simcenter STAR-CCM+ aims to redefine how multidisciplinary design optimization is performed. It enables the creation of new vessel types and demonstrates how designers can automate simulation processes and predict real-world performance, even for the most unconventional designs.”
A game-changer
Junaid Awan, CTO of Compute Maritime, couldn’t agree more with Dmitry’s statement. “Collaborating with Siemens is a game-changer for us. Many modern maritime design firms depend on Simcenter STAR-CCM+ for their CFD simulations, so working with Siemens brings tremendous value. NeuralShipper and Simcenter STAR-CCM+ address this need by enabling rapid concept generation and robust design validation, making this collaboration both timely and essential.”
Optimizing vessel performance during the design stage is critical. NeuralShipper is the first model to directly output a CAD model, primarily in the form of a NURBS surface. A major challenge with existing 3D foundational models lies in surface quality. Because these models rely on low-level shape representations, they often fail to capture the structural and geometric details crucial for accurate performance analyses. In engineering contexts, where even slight surface irregularities can significantly affect outcomes, maintaining smoothness and validity is essential. Overcoming these bottlenecks in surface quality and physics-based accuracy was the central hurdle that NeuralShipper set out to address.
Compute Maritime’s NeuralShipper acts as a digital naval architect, empowering human naval architects in the preliminary design phase. It rapidly generates hundreds of design options within minutes, enabling teams to significantly expedite concept development and quickly proceed to the detailed design phase. Simcenter STAR-CCM+ then enables designers to automate simulation processes and accurately model the complexities of ship behaviors.
Transforming engineering together
This collaboration marks a pivotal step in transforming maritime design, underscoring our shared commitment to advancing sustainable, efficient, and innovative solutions for the shipping industry. To learn more about Compute Maritime and Siemens Digital Industries Software, read the official collaboration announcement.
