Digital Twin Racetrack Debuts

Synopsys unveils a digital twin racetrack experience featuring Discovery accelerated by NVIDIA Omniverse libraries at the Aramco STEM Racing World Finals in Singapore. As the exclusive global computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation partner for STEM Racing, Synopsys provides over 400,000 students globally free access to advanced simulation software, educational resources, and technical support.

STEM Racing features middle and high school student teams across 65 countries competing to design and race miniature F1 cars.

The new setup links their race car, refined in Discovery, with a digital twin of the racetrack and Omniverse libraries. Using Discovery, teams can explore advanced aerodynamics concepts and learn how to interpret CFD behavior. Then, they can import this data to Omniverse to visualize the air flow in real time.

At the STEM Racing World Finals, students can interact with a simplified workflow, where they can modify key features of the car, like swapping premade parts to test various spoiler designs. This hands-on method helps them explore how design decisions impact performance.

Before each major race in the 2025–2026 STEM Racing season, demo days will provide students with access to the advanced workflow. Teams can upload their custom car designs to Omniverse and use Discovery for CFD analysis—gaining predictive insights into physical performance.

"Synopsys' specialized simulation and analysis tools have already transformed the way our student teams approach STEM learning," says Andrew Denford, founder and chairman at STEM Racing. "Enabling students to explore complex concepts such as aerodynamic drag and iterative design in an immersive and engaging environment will strengthen their practical engineering skills — not only will this deliver real performance gains on the physical racetrack, but it will also prepare them for success in advanced degree programs and future STEM careers."

"Deploying physics-accurate digital twins of racing environments represent the state-of-the-art within motorsport, allowing teams to optimize their cars for the unique characteristics of each racetrack and achieve minimum possible lap-times," says Tim Costa, general manager for industrial and computational engineering at NVIDIA. "By connecting NVIDIA Omniverse libraries with Discovery, alongside Synopsys' advanced design and AI-driven capabilities, the digital twin racetrack delivers a physically accurate environment where students can experiment with different vehicle designs and optimize for real-world performance through simulation alone."

The introduction of advanced tools like Discovery and Omniverse in grades K-12 enables students to gain experience in computer-aided design (CAD), computer-aided engineering (CAE), and simulation — skills that can translate to degrees in engineering, design, and computer science.

"The collaboration between Synopsys and STEM Racing proves that STEM is about creativity, teamwork, and real-world problem solving," says Antonio Varas, chief strategy officer at Synopsys. "In fact, research shows that grade-level students exposed to hands-on STEM experiences are more likely to pursue STEM careers. This initiative reflects Synopsys' deep commitment to childhood STEM education, helping students build confidence with complex topics and encouraging lifelong learning, while igniting excitement for a potential career in STEM."

This announcement follows a recent agreement signed between NVIDIA and Synopsys under which Synopsys will license, sell, and support Omniverse libraries embedded in its simulation and analysis solutions.

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company’s website.