Collaboration for Future HPC-based Simulation Technologies

The use of Numerical Simulation and High Performance Computing (HPC) in vehicle development has already been established for years. Nowadays it is the third pillar of vehicle development along with construction and testing. Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) methods in combination with HPC technologies enable engineers to solve complex problems in a quick and cost-effective way long before hardware prototypes are available. Furthermore it opens up the possibility to analyze not just a single concept idea, but many concept variations parallel. But there are some future challenges in the field of virtual vehicle development. Automotive Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEMs) and suppliers are faced with the need to bring the enormous complexity of interacting system components with the increasing demands on safe, green and smart vehicles with high quality standards in line (Fig.1). In order to minimize the integration costs and reduce time-to-market it is important not only to provide new simulation environments, but also to keep them flexible. New strategies are needed to handle large amounts of data, to facilitate the best possible interplay of soft- and hardware and to optimize the exchange of simulation data along the supply chain. The expectations on numerical simulation software and work flow tools are permanently increasing and therefore the innovation pressure is very high. Just as vehicles must be continuously developed and optimized, a constant adjustment and refinement of CAE methods are necessary to ensure the increasing demand on forecast quality. To stay competitive development tasks should be solved by exploiting the full potential of HPC-simulation technologies. Therefore the development and implementation of new numerical methods are just as important as the change of soft skills of CAE users from a single- domain to a multi-domain simulation expert. The Automotive Simulation Center Stuttgart e.V. – asc(s is exactly facing these trends. As a non-profit association the asc(s is working actively on research and development of new CAE methods through bundling the best competences from science and industry in its strong network.