Team leveraging ANSYS solutions in quest to win the America's Cup

PITTSBURGH and SAN FRANCISCO, September 25, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Powered by ANSYS (NASDAQ: ANSS) solutions to maximize yacht aerodynamics, Emirates Team New Zealand has captured the Louis Vuitton Cup and won the right to compete in the 34^th America's Cup.

Faced with the challenge of making fast design improvements to its yacht to stay hyper-competitive, Emirates Team New Zealand used a 100 percent simulation-driven development process — eliminating the need for physical prototypes. Team engineers used ANSYS^® computational fluid dynamics (CFD) solutions to virtually test different designs, considering up to 750 operating conditions per design. The simulation results led to a series of seven wins against Louis Vuitton Cup rival Luna Rossa of Italy.

The ANSYS CFD solutions enabled Emirates Team New Zealand to optimize such complex challenges as flow interaction between the wing (main rigid sail), the headsail and the yacht itself. That led to a design in which the yacht platform is used to enhance the aerodynamic performance of the wing and sails.

"We're thrilled to have won the Louis Vuitton Cup with the help of ANSYS," said Nick Hutchins, CFD engineer, Emirates Team New Zealand. "Without ANSYS software, it would have been impossible to improve designs at the pace required in this intense development environment. We're going to need that competitive edge as we're preparing for the America's Cup."

"At ANSYS, we're regularly in awe of how customers are leveraging our solutions and developing amazing products," said Gilles Eggenspieler, ANSYS' senior fluids product line manager. "Witnessing the aerodynamic improvements and incredible achievements that Emirates Team New Zealand has made over the last few weeks has been inspiring to all of us. We're proud that we could help to make them successful."

The 34^th America's Cup, a best-of-17-race series, begins Sept. 7 in San Francisco.

About ANSYS, Inc.
ANSYS brings clarity and insight to customers' most complex design challenges through fast, accurate and reliable engineering simulation. Our technology enables organizations ― no matter their industry ― to predict with confidence that their products will thrive in the real world. Customers trust our software to help ensure product integrity and drive business success through innovation. Founded in 1970, ANSYS employs about 2,500 professionals, many of them expert in engineering fields such as finite element analysis, computational fluid dynamics, electronics and electromagnetics, and design optimization. Headquartered south of Pittsburgh, U.S.A., ANSYS has more than 70 strategic sales locations throughout the world with a network of channel partners in 40+ countries. Visit www.ansys.com for more information.

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