Press Releases

How can textile structures be developed more quickly, characterized precisely, and tailored to demanding applications – such as medicine, sports, mobility, or construction? The Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics ITWM shows how its software solutions support the textile industry with powerful simulation at Techtextil in Frankfurt am Main starting April 21, 2026. The goal is to shorten development times, optimize material usage, and reliably predict the behavior of textile structures virtually. The focus is on the software tools VISPI and TexMath.

Flexible structures such as cables and hoses are indispensable in modern technology – but their behavior is complex. In the European doctoral network »THREAD – Joint Training on Numerical Modeling of Highly Flexible Structures for Industrial Applications,« 14 young researchers worked on modeling these systems more precisely using mathematics. But the program was more than just research: it connected people, disciplines, and perspectives – and opened up sustainable career paths in science and industry. We present four of the graduates here:

A new simulation tool for plastics processors is designed to make the development of functionalized, recyclable components faster, more cost-effective, and more resource-efficient. The Fraunhofer Institute for Microstructure of Materials IMWS in Halle (Saale) and the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial and Economic Mathematics ITWM in Kaiserslautern are combining their expertise in the areas of patented micro-/nanostructuring and cross-scale simulation software.

A new company has emerged from successful research in digital tire development: VTT – Virtual Tire Technologies GmbH, a spin-off of the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics ITWM, was launched in February 2026 to sustainably meet the rapidly growing global demand for the tire modeling software »CDTire« and to further develop the technology. The Fraunhofer ITWM and VTT will continue to work closely together in the future.

The reform of private pension provision is also placing greater emphasis on scientific principles. Researchers in the department »Financial Mathematics« at Fraunhofer ITWM are developing models and simulations that make insurance products more transparent, strengthen consumer protection, and enable new concepts for pension provision in the future.

At the Embedded World Exhibition and Conference in Nuremberg, the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics ITWM, together with the Rhineland-Palatinate Technical University Kaiserslautern-Landau (RPTU), is presenting a system that fundamentally accelerates the development of embedded AI applications: »Neural Architecture Search Engine (NASE)« with Hardware in the Loop.

Tire abrasion is one of the largest sources of microplastics in Europe, polluting the air, soil, and water. With the SUMERA project, the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics ITWM, with support from the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, is developing a digital model that comprehensively simulates tire abrasion for the first time and makes emissions predictable.

The energy industry faces major challenges: security of supply, climate neutrality, and efficiency must all be achieved simultaneously. At E-world Energy and Water 2026, the industry's leading trade fair, the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics ITWM demonstrates how digital technologies and mathematical models are accelerating this transformation. With Digital Twins, researchers are laying the foundation for precise analyses, reliable forecasts, and intelligent control systems – and thus for a flexible, sustainable, and secure energy supply.

From November 16 to 21, the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics ITWM will be presenting innovative solutions for parallel programming and artificial intelligence at Supercomputing 2025 in St. Louis, USA. Two Fraunhofer spin-offs will be represented at joint booth 3740: ThinkparQ will present its roadmap for the parallel file system BeeGFS. The spin-off UNEEC Systems will demonstrate the STX processor and its system approach for an energy-efficient and cost-effective computing infrastructure. The STX processor accelerates HPC simulations while ensuring easy programming. Researchers from the division »High Performance Computing« will present new developments in the areas of parallel programming, agent-based AI, and accelerated I/O.

How can Artificial Intelligence and simulation advance biotechnology? What innovations from research can help companies use resources more efficiently and increase value creation? These questions were the focus of the workshop »AI and Simulation in Biotechnology« at the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics ITWM in Kaiserslautern. On November 7, 2025, experts from research, industry, and politics discussed sustainable and efficient solutions for the pharmaceutical and chemical industries.