The new year is off to a strong start for the American publisher, a major player in the solver market, as it furthers its growth objective by acquiring EM Software & Systems. In addition to providing Altair with additional distribution offices in the United States, Germany, and China, this strategic move integrates HyperWorks with EMSS’s suite of FEKO electromagnetic solutions. The HyperWorks suite, with its wealth of star applications for modeling, rendering, analysis, and optimization (including RADIOSS, OptiStruct, HyperMesh, HyperView and HyperGraph, etc.), will now benefit from recognized functions in the field of electromagnetism, and more specifically in multiphysics simulations and design optimization. In particular, the FEKO solver can resolve electromagnetic/thermal or electromagnetic/mechanical coupling problems.

Automotive wind tunnel simulation

In addition to this acquisition, Altair has also announced HyperWorks Virtual Wind Tunnel, a new application dedicated to wind tunnel simulation for the automotive industry. Based on AcuSolveMD, the in-house CFD solver, Virtual Wind Tunnel can predict flow fields and flow separations. This external aerodynamic simulation plays an important role in modern vehicle design as it affects fuel consumption, stability, engine cooling, interior noise, and even windshield wiper performance.

HyperWorks Unlimited: a private cloud offering with SGI

But wait, there’s more. In addition to the classic HyperWorks licensing offering, Altair is joining forces with SGI to provide a private cloud solution for its software portfolio. HyperWorks Unlimited, as it is called, is based on an HPC cluster configured according to the type of code, and it allows for unlimited use of all Altair software, including the PBS Works computational load management tools. We’re curious to see what will be the reaction of the on-demand computing pure players…