SAN MATEO, CA, Apr 11, 2025 – Luminary Cloud has introduced SHIFT Models, its suite of foundation models. The first, SHIFT-SUV, is a Physics AI model and dataset created for analyzing SUV aerodynamics in industrial applications. Developed in collaboration with Honda and NVIDIA, this model will enable automotive designers and engineers to perform interactive aerodynamic analysis during the initial design process.
A critical need in automotive aerodynamics development
This model and Luminary‘s Physics AI virtual wind tunnel help address a key challenge in the automotive industry by aligning design aesthetics with engineering performance requirements. Presently, designers and engineers are inhibited by the inability to make performance-based decisions during early-stage development. While there are a few open-source simulation databases for sedans based on the DrivAer platform, automakers lack a strong foundation model and simulation database for SUVs – the growth-focused automotive segment globally, accounting for 48% of global car sales in 2023.
“This project represents a fundamental shift in automotive design methodology,” said Pete Schlampp, CEO at Luminary Cloud. “By providing instantaneous, physics-informed aerodynamic feedback, our open-source foundation model enables designers and engineers to collaborate more effectively at the earliest stages of development, saving time and money – while also advancing innovation.”
A new modern Physics AI approach to automotive design
The SHIFT-SUV aerodynamic dataset was generated by simulating several thousand geometry variants of the AeroSUV open-geometry model with Luminary’s high-fidelity computational fluid dynamics (CFD) platform. The foundational model is trained on this dataset using NVIDIA’s PhysicsNeMo. It uses its DoMINO architecture for automotive external aerodynamics, enabling Physics AI-based simulation (inference). AI-driven workflows simplify the design process by removing redundant steps and providing accurate feedback on aerodynamic performance. Luminary Cloud’s system uses a virtual wind tunnel, enabling designers and engineers to test designs in real-world simulations. This approach helps align visual design and functional engineering requirements.
At launch, the SHIFT-SUV model is trained on approximately one thousand simulations to advance to 25,000 by the end of the year. Luminary Cloud will roll out new data monthly, with a staged release of pre-trained models at specific dataset size milestones. The dataset within Luminary Cloud’s model will be open-source.
The foundation model offers several key benefits for the automotive industry, such as:
- Access to difficult to find (or generate) open-source, industry-relevant data. Luminary Cloud will release both the dataset and foundation model, enabling widespread adoption and customization.
- The largest open-source Physics AI SUV aerodynamics foundation model database. The high-fidelity, transient DDES CFD simulations include various vehicle configurations, body types, and flow conditions–increasing accuracy in the AI model prediction.
- Contribution from Honda to generate design variations to ensure industrially-relevant geometry training set, along with NVIDIA’s accelerated GPU computing and NVIDIA Omniverse Blueprint for real-time digital twins CAE resources to accelerate simulation database generation and model training with NVIDIA PhysicsNeMo.
“The automotive industry has long needed a solution that accelerates styling and engineering development cycles,” said Fong Loon Pan, principal aero design lead at Honda. “The Physics AI solution built with the Luminary Cloud SHIFT-SUV foundation model and Blender integration provides immediate insights into vehicle performance that designers and engineers need.”
“AI and accelerated computing are revolutionizing engineering design and how products are brought to market.” said Tim Costa, senior director of CAE and CUDA-X at NVIDIA, “Luminary’s innovative approach to develop an open-source foundation model for SUVs leveraging PhysicsNeMo and Omniverse Blueprint exemplifies the power of AI physics for automotive design.”
Source: Luminary Cloud
About Luminary Cloud, Inc.
Luminary Cloud, Inc., founded in 2019 and headquartered in San Mateo, CA, is a privately held company specializing in cloud-native CAE solutions. Its platform leverages GPU-accelerated simulations to enable real-time engineering workflows, allowing engineers to perform rapid design iterations and analyses. Serving industries such as aerospace, automotive, and sporting goods, Luminary Cloud’s clientele includes companies like Joby Aviation, Piper Aircraft, Trek Bikes, and Cobra Golf. As of March 2025, the company has approximately 51 employees and reports annual revenue between $10 million and $50 million. Luminary Cloud has raised $15 million in funding over two rounds, with the latest round occurring in March 2024. The company’s innovative approach to CAE positions it as a significant player in the software development industry, particularly in areas requiring high-fidelity simulations and rapid design prototyping.
About Honda
Honda Motor Co., Ltd., established in 1948 and headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is a global manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles, and power equipment. The company serves various industries, including automotive, aerospace, and robotics. Honda has collaborated with Luminary Cloud and NVIDIA to develop SHIFT-SUV, the first open-source Physics AI foundation model tailored for SUV aerodynamics. Honda contributed design variation guidance to ensure the model’s relevance to industry standards. In the fiscal year ending March 31, 2024, Honda reported net sales of approximately ¥20.4 trillion. As of 2024, Honda employed around 210,000 individuals worldwide. The company’s broad product range and ongoing innovation have helped establish its position as a global automotive and power equipment market leader.
About NVIDIA
NVIDIA Corp. is an American tech company headquartered in Santa Clara, CA. Renowned for designing and manufacturing graphics processing units (GPUs), NVIDIA’s innovations have significantly impacted various sectors. The company’s products and services cater to industries such as gaming, where its GPUs enhance visual experiences; artificial intelligence (AI), providing high-performance computing solutions; automotive, contributing to autonomous vehicle technologies; and robotics, offering advanced AI perception and simulation tools. Over its more than three decades in business, NVIDIA has experienced substantial growth. In the fiscal quarter ending January 2025, the company reported record revenue of $39.3 billion and a net income of $22.1 billion. NVIDIA’s headquarters, designed to facilitate a flat organizational structure, emphasizes information flow and harmony between leadership and employees.