Siemens Xcelerator Technologies Support Luna Rossa Design and Simulation Workflows

Siemens has expanded its digital engineering partnership with Luna Rossa, strengthening its role as a technology partner, as the team optimizes its racing yacht for the forthcoming 38th America’s Cup (Image courtesy of Luna Rossa).

(IN BRIEF) Siemens has expanded its digital engineering partnership with Luna Rossa ahead of the 38th America’s Cup. The collaboration broadens the sailing team’s use of Siemens Xcelerator technologies for yacht design, data management, simulation, systems modelling, structural optimisation and traceability. Luna Rossa will use software including Designcenter, Polarion, Simcenter STAR-CCM+, Simcenter Amesim and Simcenter structural optimisation tools to examine aerodynamic, hydrodynamic, composite and onboard-system performance earlier in the development process. The integrated approach is intended to help the team connect engineering data, explore design alternatives and make more informed decisions as it develops its next racing yacht.

(PRESS RELEASE) MUNICH, 29-Jun-2026 — /EuropaWire/ — Siemens has expanded its digital engineering partnership with Luna Rossa as the sailing team advances the development of its racing yacht for the forthcoming 38th America’s Cup.

The extended collaboration broadens Luna Rossa’s use of the Siemens Xcelerator portfolio, bringing together technologies for product design, simulation, systems engineering, structural optimisation and traceability in a more connected engineering environment.

In elite sailing, small performance gains can be decisive. Teams must rapidly assess complex relationships between aerodynamics, hydrodynamics, composite structures and onboard systems while working to demanding development schedules. Siemens said its digital engineering technologies are intended to help Luna Rossa connect data across these disciplines, test design alternatives earlier and make better-informed decisions before physical validation.

Gilberto Nobili, Technology & Operations Director at Luna Rossa, said the development of a competitive yacht requires the management of multiple engineering domains while performance is continuously refined. He said the expanded relationship with Siemens strengthens the team’s digital engineering foundation as it prepares for the next America’s Cup.

The collaboration combines several Siemens software applications across the yacht development lifecycle.

For product design, Siemens’ Designcenter software serves as the strategic computer-aided design platform, supporting the development of complex components and assemblies. Polarion software is used for application lifecycle management, helping to manage requirements, tests and traceability between engineering decisions and validation activities.

Luna Rossa also uses Simcenter STAR-CCM+ for aerodynamic and hydrodynamic simulation. The software supports computational fluid dynamics and fluid-structure interaction studies, allowing engineers to assess yacht behaviour under complex operating conditions and evaluate design trade-offs during earlier stages of development.

Digital twin technologies and reduced-order modelling are also being used to enable more efficient performance exploration while managing the computational requirements associated with highly detailed simulation work.

At the system level, Simcenter Amesim supports mechatronic modelling and analysis of onboard systems. This allows the team to study interactions between systems and assess design choices before components are physically tested.

Lightweight composite structures are central to high-performance yacht design. Siemens structural modelling and optimisation technologies, including Simcenter 3D, Simcenter Optistruct and Simcenter Hyperstudy, are being used to support composite design, structural optimisation and multidisciplinary engineering studies.

Franco Megali, Vice President and Chief Executive Officer for Italy, Israel and Greece at Siemens Digital Industries Software, said high-performance sailing presents many of the same engineering challenges faced by advanced manufacturers. He said the expanded collaboration brings Siemens digital engineering tools into one of the world’s most demanding performance environments.

By integrating design, simulation, systems engineering and traceability, Siemens and Luna Rossa aim to create a more unified digital workflow that can help the team investigate more options, improve collaboration across engineering functions and support faster decision-making ahead of the competition.