Rimac Technology

Can you talk about your designation as the head of simulations? What are some of your daily responsibilities?

As the leader of simulations, I am responsible for overseeing computer-aided engineering (CAE) and heading numerical analysis, among other areas. The role involves managing the simulation department, which is responsible for performing various numerical analyses on the components of electric cars. These analyses include estimating the structural, thermal, electric, and electromagnetic interference behavior of batteries, electric motors, gearboxes, and inverters.

I assume you have to deal with a lot of data when running simulations. What is the preferred cloud technology you use to store the data?

Our approach to computing is traditional, where computers are used to carry out calculations. Our numerical models rely on solvers to solve equations, which demand a large number of CPUs. This is why we have opted for cloud computing, as it provides us with virtually limitless CPUs for enhanced speed and flexibility. In addition, we can access a substantial amount of RAM, which is necessary for handling complex models.

How beneficial is cloud technology in providing the required processing power and making your work much more efficient?

The cloud offers excellent user flexibility in the daily usage of expensive computational resources and is more or less instantaneous in getting work done for the company. You don't have to procure something you don't need and wait for delivery or installation. You don't need to wait to build the facility where you put your data centre. However, you will need some time to integrate cloud solutions with your IT infrastructure within the company. That requires some work, in addition to the support of your cloud provider and your internal IT. 

When you get a new task and try to run it on your local hardware, it might be too complex for the local hardware. With the cloud, you get a machine that can solve your problem. And once you are done, you just close the machine and have no more expenses. You have great flexibility with the cloud as we see it from our perspective.

What are some of the challenges that you're facing when implementing cloud technology?

Integrating the cloud with the on-premise IP infrastructure is challenging for several reasons. One of the reasons is that IT infrastructure is custom-made. Everything that's connected to it needs to be customized. You need to have experts both on your cloud provider support side and on your IT support side. So, they need to be able to work together to make it work.

For many users, cost is an issue. Even though the cloud is reasonable, it is expensive compared to on-premise solutions. Data transfer and data storage are also significant parts. 

You will also have large data sets that you need to polish up and down from the cloud to your servers and vice versa, which can take time. A fast and direct connection between the cloud and your servers must be ensured. You want your internet connection to stay steady during several hours of data transfer.

Is there any advice that you can give to fellow members out there to completely utilize the power of cloud technology?

We are primarily mechanical or aeronautical engineers, and I'm a physicist. So, we are experts in our engineering domain. What we want from a cloud is user-friendliness, which can be challenging. It's a complex system, and if you are not a specialized IT engineer, you will be limited in what you can do, or you will need to invest lots of time in understanding how to do something in the cloud. 

Different cloud platforms will do the job for you. You log into the platform and run your simulations. There are also software and services on the cloud where you can run some simulations. But usually, there is a limit to the capabilities of that software because they're still reasonably new to the market. It is excellent for general engineering to submit the drawing in CAD to a web browser, and the simulation software can run it in the cloud. There are solutions like this already. But in the future, they'll have even more capabilities. That will be the easiest way to use the cloud and utilize the incredible power of high-end technology.

Would you like to add more insight regarding cloud-based technology?

In summary, it's a superior technology that we all need to get accustomed to. Most of us in our domain of numerical simulations are still assessing and trying different things. But in the future, it will have a dominant effect in engineering simulations compared to on-premise solutions.

Cloud is excellent for start-ups, as you will get excellent computing resources, which you pay as you go. I think that’s a perfect opportunity for any start-up to scale up their businesses effectively and efficiently.