Ansys, Baker Hughes, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have jointly achieved the largest commercial Fluent CFD simulation ever run on AMD Instinct™ MI250X GPUs. The simulation was performed using 1,024 GPUs on the Frontier exascale supercomputer, delivering a 96% reduction in run time and setting a new benchmark for high-fidelity computational fluid dynamics (CFD) at scale.
The project involved a 2.2-billion-cell axial turbine stator simulation to analyze critical flow and turbulence structures during development. By running the simulation on 1,024 AMD Instinct GPUs, the team reduced run time from 38.5 hours (on 3,700+ CPU cores) to just 1.5 hours. The results enable rapid iteration and deeper insight into aerothermal performance under high-pressure operating conditions.
Baker Hughes used Ansys Fluent to support the design of next-generation gas turbines and turbomachinery equipment aimed at improving energy conversion efficiency and reducing emissions. The Frontier system, housed at ORNL and managed by the U.S. Department of Energy, is the world’s first exascale-class supercomputer.
Traditional CFD methods often rely on time-intensive simulation cycles and physical testing. Exascale computing significantly compresses development timelines by enabling more simulations to be performed in parallel, allowing for design refinement without compromising on accuracy or physical realism.
The performance improvements are also scalable to small and medium-sized businesses operating without exascale access. Fluent’s GPU solver allows high-fidelity results to be achieved more efficiently across a range of GPU configurations, broadening its impact across the industry.
“By scaling high-fidelity CFD simulation software to unprecedented levels with the power of AMD Instinct GPUs, this collaboration demonstrates how cutting-edge supercomputing can solve some of the toughest engineering challenges, enabling breakthroughs in efficiency, sustainability, and innovation,” said Brad McCredie, senior vice president, Data Center Engineering, AMD.
“Ansys works with top-tier hardware partners like AMD to deliver robust infrastructure, empowering our customers to run complex simulations with minimal constraints,” said Shane Emswiler, senior vice president of products at Ansys. “Our advanced GPU-enabled solvers can boost simulation speeds, allow for very high-fidelity simulation, and enhance scalability — helping our customers develop superior products in much shorter timelines.”
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About Ansys
Ansys is a global leader in engineering simulation software. For over 50 years, the company has enabled innovators across industries to design and validate new technologies by simulating real-world performance. Ansys solutions are used to advance product development in sectors ranging from aerospace and automotive to electronics, energy, and healthcare. The company partners with top research institutions and technology providers to deliver predictive simulation tools that accelerate innovation.
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