Rolls-Royce
Enabling revolutionary aero-engine design through Exascale simulation.
Above: a Rolls-Royce UltraFan demonstrator engine during testing. Image © Rolls-Royce plc 2026. All rights reserved.
The ASiMoV EPSRC Prosperity Partnership, a consortium led by Rolls-Royce and EPCC, began in 2018 with funding worth £14.7m to develop the next generation of engineering simulation and modelling techniques. The aim was to develop the world’s first high-fidelity simulation of a complete gas-turbine engine during operation. The success of this collaboration resulted in the continued collaboration between EPCC and Rolls-Royce.
In 2025, EPSRC funded the Virtual Exascale Calculations Transform Aviation (VECTA) Prosperity partnership, a £17m project to build on the success of ASIMoV. VECTA is working towards simulating a complete jet engine by the end of the five-year project, by creating new computational modelling tools and approaches.
Rapid development of new engines through simulated tests and "virtual certification" would decrease the time it takes to develop new engines, and iterate on current designs, which in turn enables the development of more efficient jet engines that run on alternative fuels, such as hydrogen. Such developments are fundamental to keeping the UK aerospace sector at the forefront of innovation.
The VECTA Consortium comprises: EPCC, The University of Edinburgh (Academic Lead), Rolls-Royce (Industry Lead), University of Cambridge, University of Warwick, Queen's University Belfast, University of Surrey, TurboStream Ltd, and International TechneGroup Ltd.
Learn more
You can read more about VECTA by watching the video below and visiting this page on the UKRI website: Virtual Exascale Calculations Transform Aviation (VECTA) Prosperity partnership