ESI Group and the DesCartes Program Aiming at Transforming Singapore Into a Hybrid, Ethical and Sustainable Smart Nation
25.1.2022 10:00:00 EET | Business Wire | Press release
Regulatory News:
ESI Group, Rungis, France, (ISIN Code: FR0004110310, Mnemo: ESI), a global player in virtual prototyping for industries, is collaborating in the launch of the DesCartes project in Singapore by providing its scientists, its expertise in hybridization methods and its virtual prototyping software solutions to the various stakeholders.
DesCartes a 5-year and a 35 million euros budget collaborative program, has been selected by the National Research Foundation (NRF) of Singapore and is based on the CREATE campus, "Campus for research excellence and technological enterprise", the international research hub of Singapore. Behind this very French name lies one of the largest collaborative programs of the CNRS: the "Program on Intelligent Modelling for Decision-making in Critical Urban Systems", dedicated to Hybrid Artificial Intelligence.
A smart city project to a better extent: A smart nation project
For many years, many smart cities projects have been launched. The principle of these smart cities is to collect data generated by sensors, to deploy specific applications, such as sensors indicating air pollution, alerts on accidents, traffic conditions in real time... However, the concept of smart nation carried by Singapore differs from the others because it pushes the concept to its paroxysm: from the digitization of an entity, a building, a single system to the digitization of a whole city interacting in real time.
From electrical grid optimization to delivery drones
DesCartes is developing hybrid AI methods, combining AI with knowledge-based models (physics, engineering), to enable trusted, real-time decision-making that is "people-centric" and "in harmony with society." All in response to complex situations related to critical urban systems in the context of Singapore's "Smart Nation." This research will be applied, for example, to urban mobility or energy management, or to anticipate the needs of future transportation networks, smart industries, or smart buildings. "For example, we aim to develop solutions to optimize the supply and demand of the electricity network, or solutions to improve the flow of cab drones or delivery drones, or to develop intelligent predictive maintenance applied to industrial tools," explains Dominique Baillargeat, director of CNRS@CREATE. Systems in the city that will be able to analyze data on the use of services by the population and then make optimization decisions.
ESI's role in this project.
ESI, recognized worldwide for its predictive physics modeling and virtual prototyping expertise, will play several roles in this program. First, its Scientific Director, also a member of CNRS and ENSAM, Prof. Francisco Chinesta, will be the program director. In addition, the Group will make its performance simulation solutions (VPS, VA One, Simulation X, etc.) and its expertise in hybridization and model reduction methods available to the partners and the program. ESI will thus be able to predict material behavior in real time, anticipate incidents (associated with damage, cracks, corrosion, etc.), model the wind for better use of drones, and make city management more intelligent and human-friendly. Finally, ESI will bring all its engineering expertise to optimize the platform in which the data will be used to make the right decision at the right time.
Dr. Francisco Chinesta, leader of the engineering activity for ESI in this project, says: "The goal of the Singapore program is to think and design an interconnected smart city with features that will revolutionize the concept of smart cities. In this project, it is essential to place the citizen - the human, but also more generally the living - at the heart of the hybridization devices. All the partners in this project aim to make Singapore an ethical, responsible and secure new city."
The Descartes program partners
The Descartes project involves on the French side:
- CNRS
- 13 universities and prestigious schools : Université Paris-Saclay, Université Toulouse Paul Sabatier, Université Lyon III Jean Moulin, Université de Bordeaux, École Nationale de l'Aviation Civile, Université Paris Sciences & Lettres, Université de Strasbourg, Arts et Métiers, INP Grenoble, INP ENSEEIHT, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Paris-Saclay, Université Grenoble-Alpes, Université Côte-d'Azur.
and, on the Singaporean side:
- 3 universities: Nanyang Technology University, National University of Singapore, Singapore University of Technology and Design.
- A*STAR: Agency for Science, Technology and Research. A*STAR is the national R&D agency of Singapore.
It is developed in collaboration with five industrial partners: ARIA, CETIM MATCOR, EDF, ESI Group and Thales.
About ESI Group
Founded in 1973, ESI Group is a leading innovator in Virtual Prototyping solutions and a global enabler of industrial transformation. Thanks to the company’s unique know-how in the physics of materials, it has developed and refined, over the last 45 years, advanced simulation capabilities. Having identified gaps in the traditional approach to Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), ESI has introduced a holistic methodology centered on industrial productivity and product performance throughout its entire lifecycle, i.e. Product Performance Lifecycle™, from engineering to manufacturing and in operation. Present in more than 20 countries, and in major industrial sectors, ESI employs 1200 high level specialists around the world and reported 2020 sales of €132.6 million. ESI is headquartered in France and is listed on compartment B of Euronext Paris.
For further information, go to www.esi-group.com.
Follow ESI: LinkedIn | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220124005770/en/
Contact information
ESI - Press & Shareholders
Florence Barré
investors@esi-group.com
+33 1 49 78 28 28
Verbatee – Press & Investors Relations
Jérôme Goaer, j.goaer@verbatee.com, +33 6 61 61 79 34
Aline Besselièvre, a.besselievre@verbatee.com, +33 6 61 85 10 05
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
European Wealth Firms Build Private Markets Capability Faster Than They Communicate It, Peregrine Report Finds20.10.2026 11:15:00 EEST | Press release
Europe's leading wealth managers have built genuine private markets capability but most have yet to explain it to the clients they built it for, according to The Wealth 30, a new report from Peregrine Communications. The study analyses how 30 leading UK and European wealth managers and private banks position private markets. It concludes that communication, not product, is now the biggest barrier to differentiation in the wealth channel. Capability outpaces explanation 73% of the Wealth 30 engage in private markets yet only 40% operate a dedicated landing page explaining what private markets are, why they matter and how clients can access them. Just 23% combine explainers, a destination and repeatable house-view content. Swiss private banks set the benchmark, supported by house views, outlooks and heritage narratives. Pictet, UBP, Lombard Odier and Julius Baer all back their positioning with repeatable insight content, and Coutts is the clearest UK example. UK firms more often communic
Infobip and Yamaha Power Conversational Customer Engagement in Indonesia’s Automotive Sector20.10.2026 11:00:00 EEST | Press release
Global AI-first cloud communications platform Infobip strengthens its collaboration with Yamaha Indonesia Motor Manufacturing (YIMM) to transform customer engagement through WhatsApp-powered conversational experiences designed to drive stronger personalization and faster customer interactions. As Indonesia’s consumers increasingly adopt digital-first purchasing behaviors, Yamaha Indonesia is evolving how it connects with customers across the buying journey. Today’s motorcycle buyers often research products through Yamaha’s social media, websites, and video reviews on YouTube before visiting dealerships, raising expectations for brands to deliver fast, seamless, and highly personalized communication. For more than two years, Infobip has supported Yamaha Indonesia in building connected customer engagement strategies that integrate WhatsApp across the company’s wider digital ecosystem, including its websites, social media platforms, and customer touchpoints. The collaboration reflects the
Finsei Selects Thredd to Power New Debit Offering20.10.2026 10:00:00 EEST | Press release
Thredd, the AI-first issuer processing platform, today announced a new partnership with Finsei, a London-based payments company, to power the processing infrastructure behind Finsei’s new Mastercard debit offering. The partnership reflects a shared focus on simplifying an increasingly complex payments environment. Businesses operating across markets often rely on multiple providers to manage accounts, payments, foreign exchange, cards and expenses. Finsei is designed to bring those capabilities together, while Thredd provides the underlying payment technology and infrastructure needed to deliver a secure, digital-first debit experience at scale. At launch, physical and virtual cards will be available, followed by both Apple Pay and Google Pay. “Businesses increasingly expect their financial tools to work together rather than operate as a collection of disconnected services,” said Jim McCarthy, CEO of Thredd. “Finsei is building around that expectation, bringing payments, currency manag
BRG Survey Finds 71% of Competition Lawyers Say Global Antitrust Policies Grew More Fragmented over Past Year20.10.2026 10:00:00 EEST | Press release
Global antitrust enforcement is pulling apart along national lines, with 71% of senior competition attorneys reporting that policy became more fragmented across jurisdictions over the past 12 months, according to BRG’s inaugural Global Antitrust & Competition Report. Nearly four in five (78%) also cite cross-border antitrust requirements as a significant or recurring challenge. The report draws on a survey of 155 senior antitrust and competition attorneys across the U.S., Europe and Asia-Pacific (APAC) and in-depth interviews with 18 leading lawyers. It also finds that about 60% of respondents expect antitrust enforcement to expand in scope and intensity over the next 12 months. “Domestic politics and geopolitical considerations increasingly influence the application of competition law across jurisdictions”, said David Parker, a managing director at BRG. “As a result, deal timelines and risk assessments often now have to be built jurisdiction by jurisdiction, from the earliest stage of
Murata Develops World’s Smallest 008004-inch Size (0.25mm × 0.125mm) NTC Thermistor for Space-Constrained Temperature Sensing20.10.2026 05:00:00 EEST | Press release
Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (TOKYO: 6981) (ISIN: JP3914400001) announces the development of the world’s smallest* 008004-inch size (0.25mm × 0.125mm) NTC thermistor, the NCU01 series. Compared with Murata’s previous smallest 01005-inch size (0.4mm × 0.2mm) product, the new series reduces mounting area by approximately 60% while achieving equivalent temperature-sensing performance, with resistance tolerance of ±1% and B-constant tolerance of ±1%. Its ultra-compact size enables temperature sensing to be positioned in increasingly restricted spaces and closer to heat-generating components, supporting more accurate and responsive thermal monitoring in smartphones, wearable devices, and other densely integrated electronic devices. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261019189089/en/ [Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.] World’s smallest 008004-inch size (0.25mm × 0.125mm) NTC thermistor Murata plans to begin sample shipm
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom