How will artificial intelligence change engineering, and what will remain firmly in human hands? That question ran through yesterday’s Simcenter Technology Conference at Palacio Neptuno in Madrid, where Caponnetto Hueber joined companies including Airbus, HORSE Powertrain and Oracle Red Bull Racing to discuss the future of simulation.
Bringing together the expertise of Siemens and Altair, the conference combined perspectives on AI with examples of how companies use simulation to solve engineering problems. Mario Caponnetto, our CTO, contributed the marine perspective, tracing the journey of simulation from America’s Cup racing to its wider application in the nautical and maritime industry.
In the opening session, Ángel Abades, Head of Simulation at Siemens, placed artificial intelligence at the centre of engineering’s future. He also emphasised the continuing importance of human judgement, identifying three essential responsibilities for engineers: defining the problem, establishing its limits and validating the possibilities.
Later, Siemens’ David Jiménez brought that discussion into everyday engineering workflows. He described AI agents supporting tasks such as meshing and modelling, simulation setup, validation and post-processing, alongside agents that help users access engineering knowledge.
One challenge stood out: giving these tools sufficient company context to make their assistance useful. An agent needs access to the relevant information and an understanding of the organisation’s work. Human expertise and scripts, Jiménez explained, continue to play an important role.
These sessions framed a practical question for the day: how can increasingly capable tools help engineers devote more attention to decisions that require their experience?
Mario’s presentation offered a concrete example of how engineering tools can transform a sector over time.
Drawing on Caponnetto Hueber’s experience, he explained how computational fluid dynamics (CFD) gained ground in competitive sailing, particularly in the America’s Cup. The pressure to improve performance created an environment in which teams could explore radical designs, with simulation allowing them to assess ideas before committing to construction and physical testing.
Foiling accelerated that transformation. It also broadened the engineering challenge: designing an efficient foil was part of a larger task that included keeping the vessel stable and controlling its behaviour in changing conditions.
Mario then showed how Caponnetto Hueber helped transfer technologies developed in this demanding racing environment to the wider marine industry, using Siemens’ simulation software. His presentation covered applications ranging from hull hydrodynamics and seakeeping to manoeuvrability, structural loads and safety.
The progression towards powered foiling vessels introduced another layer of complexity. Sensors, control algorithms and actuators must work together with the vessel’s hydrodynamic design. Mario presented examples of vessels designed with Simcenter STAR-CCM+ and autonomous foiling platforms built to test control algorithms at sea.
His talk received warm applause, bringing a marine engineering case study to a programme spanning several industries.
For Caponnetto Hueber, the conference connected two stages of technological change: the transfer of simulation methods from elite competition to industrial design, and the growing role of AI in engineering workflows.
Mario’s contribution showed how progress builds through sustained development, application and testing. As new tools expand what engineers can do, the experience needed to frame a problem and assess the results remains essential.
We thank Siemens for the invitation to contribute to the conference and share Caponnetto Hueber’s experience with the engineering community in Madrid.
How will artificial intelligence change engineering, and what will remain firmly in human hands? That question ran through yesterday’s Simcenter Technology Conference at Palacio Neptuno in Madrid, where Caponnetto Hueber joined companies including Airbus, HORSE Powertrain and Oracle Red Bull Racing to discuss the future of simulation.
Bringing together the expertise of Siemens and Altair, the conference combined perspectives on AI with examples of how companies use simulation to solve engineering problems. Mario Caponnetto, our CTO, contributed the marine perspective, tracing the journey of simulation from America’s Cup racing to its wider application in the nautical and maritime industry.
In the opening session, Ángel Abades, Head of Simulation at Siemens, placed artificial intelligence at the centre of engineering’s future. He also emphasised the continuing importance of human judgement, identifying three essential responsibilities for engineers: defining the problem, establishing its limits and validating the possibilities.
Later, Siemens’ David Jiménez brought that discussion into everyday engineering workflows. He described AI agents supporting tasks such as meshing and modelling, simulation setup, validation and post-processing, alongside agents that help users access engineering knowledge.
One challenge stood out: giving these tools sufficient company context to make their assistance useful. An agent needs access to the relevant information and an understanding of the organisation’s work. Human expertise and scripts, Jiménez explained, continue to play an important role.
These sessions framed a practical question for the day: how can increasingly capable tools help engineers devote more attention to decisions that require their experience?
Mario’s presentation offered a concrete example of how engineering tools can transform a sector over time.
Drawing on Caponnetto Hueber’s experience, he explained how computational fluid dynamics (CFD) gained ground in competitive sailing, particularly in the America’s Cup. The pressure to improve performance created an environment in which teams could explore radical designs, with simulation allowing them to assess ideas before committing to construction and physical testing.
Foiling accelerated that transformation. It also broadened the engineering challenge: designing an efficient foil was part of a larger task that included keeping the vessel stable and controlling its behaviour in changing conditions.
Mario then showed how Caponnetto Hueber helped transfer technologies developed in this demanding racing environment to the wider marine industry, using Siemens’ simulation software. His presentation covered applications ranging from hull hydrodynamics and seakeeping to manoeuvrability, structural loads and safety.
The progression towards powered foiling vessels introduced another layer of complexity. Sensors, control algorithms and actuators must work together with the vessel’s hydrodynamic design. Mario presented examples of vessels designed with Simcenter STAR-CCM+ and autonomous foiling platforms built to test control algorithms at sea.
His talk received warm applause, bringing a marine engineering case study to a programme spanning several industries.
For Caponnetto Hueber, the conference connected two stages of technological change: the transfer of simulation methods from elite competition to industrial design, and the growing role of AI in engineering workflows.
Mario’s contribution showed how progress builds through sustained development, application and testing. As new tools expand what engineers can do, the experience needed to frame a problem and assess the results remains essential.
We thank Siemens for the invitation to contribute to the conference and share Caponnetto Hueber’s experience with the engineering community in Madrid.
How will artificial intelligence change engineering, and what will remain firmly in human hands? That question ran through yesterday’s Simcenter Technology Conference at Palacio Neptuno in Madrid, where Caponnetto Hueber joined companies including Airbus, HORSE Powertrain and Oracle Red Bull Racing to discuss the future of simulation.
Bringing together the expertise of Siemens and Altair, the conference combined perspectives on AI with examples of how companies use simulation to solve engineering problems. Mario Caponnetto, our CTO, contributed the marine perspective, tracing the journey of simulation from America’s Cup racing to its wider application in the nautical and maritime industry.
In the opening session, Ángel Abades, Head of Simulation at Siemens, placed artificial intelligence at the centre of engineering’s future. He also emphasised the continuing importance of human judgement, identifying three essential responsibilities for engineers: defining the problem, establishing its limits and validating the possibilities.
Later, Siemens’ David Jiménez brought that discussion into everyday engineering workflows. He described AI agents supporting tasks such as meshing and modelling, simulation setup, validation and post-processing, alongside agents that help users access engineering knowledge.
One challenge stood out: giving these tools sufficient company context to make their assistance useful. An agent needs access to the relevant information and an understanding of the organisation’s work. Human expertise and scripts, Jiménez explained, continue to play an important role.
These sessions framed a practical question for the day: how can increasingly capable tools help engineers devote more attention to decisions that require their experience?
Mario’s presentation offered a concrete example of how engineering tools can transform a sector over time.
Drawing on Caponnetto Hueber’s experience, he explained how computational fluid dynamics (CFD) gained ground in competitive sailing, particularly in the America’s Cup. The pressure to improve performance created an environment in which teams could explore radical designs, with simulation allowing them to assess ideas before committing to construction and physical testing.
Foiling accelerated that transformation. It also broadened the engineering challenge: designing an efficient foil was part of a larger task that included keeping the vessel stable and controlling its behaviour in changing conditions.
Mario then showed how Caponnetto Hueber helped transfer technologies developed in this demanding racing environment to the wider marine industry, using Siemens’ simulation software. His presentation covered applications ranging from hull hydrodynamics and seakeeping to manoeuvrability, structural loads and safety.
The progression towards powered foiling vessels introduced another layer of complexity. Sensors, control algorithms and actuators must work together with the vessel’s hydrodynamic design. Mario presented examples of vessels designed with Simcenter STAR-CCM+ and autonomous foiling platforms built to test control algorithms at sea.
His talk received warm applause, bringing a marine engineering case study to a programme spanning several industries.
For Caponnetto Hueber, the conference connected two stages of technological change: the transfer of simulation methods from elite competition to industrial design, and the growing role of AI in engineering workflows.
Mario’s contribution showed how progress builds through sustained development, application and testing. As new tools expand what engineers can do, the experience needed to frame a problem and assess the results remains essential.
We thank Siemens for the invitation to contribute to the conference and share Caponnetto Hueber’s experience with the engineering community in Madrid.
During the 33rd America’s Cup cycle, Mario Caponnetto contributed to hydrodynamic assessment workstreams aligned with the BMW Oracle wing-sail platform, the configuration that ultimately won the Match. This milestone marked the shift toward aero-hydrodynamic integration in Cup design culture.
BMW Oracle Racing
America’s Cup / Aero-Hydro Integration / Performance Engineering
In 2021, Caponnetto Hueber led the CFD, foil design, and hydrodynamic engineering for the AC75 of Luna Rossa Challenge, the eventual Prada Cup winner. We deployed multiscale CFD and aero-hydro coupling to ensure optimum lift and control. Rapid iteration delivered performance gains under tight competition timelines.
Luna Rossa Challenge
Racing Concept / CFD / Foil Design