The New York Yacht Club (NYYC) American Magic team has entailed the help of Altair, a company specialising in computational science and artificial intelligence (AI), to improve their AC75 vessel ahead of the 37th America’s Cup.
Throughout the development cycle for the competition, which begins in Barcelon on 22 August, Altair’s computational fluid dynamics (CFD), structural analysis, data analytics and high-performance computing (HPC) technology has transformed American Magic’s yacht design and testing process, creating a “state-of-the-art” yacht.
Altair’s technology expedited and simplified the American Magic engineering team’s development process to ensure they can iterate and discover new design insights faster, a pivotal capability to have in a race where cutting-edge yachts can reach speeds of up to 90 km/h. “These aren’t your typical sailboats – they’re technological wonders”, said American Magic computational fluid dynamics (CFD) engineer Andrew Bloxom.
“The America’s Cup has such a storied history and a legacy of always being on the cutting edge of racing innovation; we on the American Magic team want nothing more than to add to that legacy”, said American Magic CEO Mike Cazer. “Partnering with Altair reaffirms our team’s commitment to using the industry’s best tools to achieve our goals.”
The AC75 is a 75-foot-long (23 metres) monohull yacht that features, a double-skinned soft sail, an 8-person crew and, most importantly, hydrofoils, giving it the ability to raise above the water and “fly” at speeds of over 55 mph (88 km/h) in ideal conditions. Despite appearances and the name yacht, the AC75 is, in fact a sailboat, and will be solely powered by the wind.
After 17 days of sailing Patriot, Tom Burnham, Head Coach of American Magic, noted, "There are so many variables in the AC75; we are just scratching the surface." pic.twitter.com/gpfHaPiKDT
— American Magic (@AmerMagicTeam) June 4, 2024
To face and hopefully beat the other competing vessels however, a self-learning algorithm, i.e. AI, was given data from previous competitions and has been trained for the upcoming course. Analysing all the information, it should aid the crew abord AC75 by suggesting and even carrying out specific manoeuvres and determine the fastest route to the finish line.
“We are delighted that the American Magic team turned to us in their search for the market’s finest computational intelligence technology, and I cannot wait to see their hard work in action”, said Jim Scapa, founder and CEO of Altair. “Our work with American Magic demonstrates the power of Altair’s convergence and computational intelligence vision on a global stage like no other. They are a world-class organization that is always looking to find new ways to innovate and succeed – just as Altair is. This is truly a collaboration between two organizations who share the same values, vision, and desire to excel.”
Unlike other sailing competitions, America’s Cup puts sailing clubs head-to-head, rather than specific yachts, sailors or crews. The clubs mutually agree upon design rules for their yachts, but have ample freedom to design their vessels and optimize their performance. The 37th America’s Cup begins in Barcelona, Spain on August 22 with the Preliminary Regatta, followed by the Challenger Series. The 37th America’s Cup Match will take place October 12-21 in a best-of-thirteen series.
