Akselos is a Swiss company which provides an engineering simulation platform based on reduced-basis

finite-element analysis Finite element method (FEM) is a popular method for numerically solving differential equations arising in engineering and mathematical modeling. Typical problem areas of interest include the traditional fields of structural analysis, heat tran ...

. The platform is used to create

digital twin A digital twin is a digital model of an intended or actual real-world physical product, system, or process (a ''physical twin'') that serves as a digital counterpart of it for purposes such as simulation, integration, testing, monitoring, and m ...

s of

energy infrastructure Energy development is the field of activities focused on obtaining sources of energy from natural resources. These activities include the production of renewable, nuclear, and fossil fuel derived sources of energy, and for the recovery and reu ...

s in order to improve their design, maintenance, reliability and lifetime. The company is headquartered in

Lausanne Lausanne ( , ; ; ) is the capital and largest List of towns in Switzerland, city of the Swiss French-speaking Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Vaud, in Switzerland. It is a hilly city situated on the shores of Lake Geneva, about halfway bet ...

at the EPFL Innovation Park, and has offices in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

and

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

. Thomas Leurent is the current Akselos CEO.

Company history

In 2011, technology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) project "High resolution simulations for system analysis" was spun out into Akselos. In 2012, the company was founded by David Knezevic, Thomas Leurent and Phuong Huynh, who were involved in the initial research. Akselos raised a first round of investment of USD 2.2 million in 2016. A second round of investment of USD 10 million led by Innogy Ventures and

Shell Shell may refer to: Architecture and design * Shell (structure), a thin structure ** Concrete shell, a thin shell of concrete, usually with no interior columns or exterior buttresses Science Biology * Seashell, a hard outer layer of a marine ani ...

Ventures was raised in 2018. In 2020, Akselos was selected as a

World Economic Forum The World Economic Forum (WEF) is an international non-governmental organization, international advocacy non-governmental organization and think tank, based in Cologny, Canton of Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded on 24 January 1971 by German ...

Technology Pioneer.

Reduced-basis finite-element analysis technology

Between 2000 and 2011, reduced-basis finite-element analysis was developed in research laboratories from different universities, including MIT and

Pierre and Marie Curie University Pierre and Marie Curie University ( , UPMC), also known as Paris VI, was a public research university in Paris, France, from 1971 to 2017. The university was located on the Jussieu Campus in the Latin Quarter of the 5th arrondissement of Paris, ...

. Akselos received a license from the MIT Technology licensing office on the development of the technology. Later on, Akselos collaborated with EPFL for the development of a simulation software for critical infrastructures. The technology allows its user to perform simulations on a 3D physics-based digital model of an energy infrastructure, called a digital twin. To build the digital twin, all available data on the energy infrastructure asset needs first to be collected. The digital twin then allows the user to monitor reliability as well as predict potential failures and may help to extend the lifetime of assets. It is said by Akselos technology users that in some applications, the technology can be a thousand times faster than other methods. According to the company, the technology provides more details and accuracy than conventional finite element analysis when modelling large assets.{{Cite web, last=Venables, first=Mark, date=2018-08-26, title=Digital Twins Provide A Window Into The Future For Ageing Assets, url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/markvenables/2018/08/26/digital-twins-provide-a-window-into-the-future-for-ageing-assets/, access-date=2020-06-28, website=Forbes, language=en

References

Technology companies of Switzerland Technology companies established in 2012 2012 establishments in Switzerland