Synopsys Launches Digital Twin Racetrack for STEM Racing with NVIDIA Omniverse

Synopsys just dropped something wild. Over 400,000 students worldwide can now design, simulate, and race virtual F1 cars—thanks to a digital twin racetrack built on NVIDIA Omniverse. This isn’t just another STEM toy. It’s real engineering, real simulation, and real competition—hitting classrooms and STEM Racing tracks everywhere this season.

Synopsys and NVIDIA Bring Real-Time Racing Simulation to Students

Forget textbook physics. For the 2025–2026 STEM Racing season, student teams can upload custom F1 car designs, run CFD simulations, and see airflow in real time—all inside Omniverse.

• Digital twin racetrack lets kids test aerodynamics, tweak spoiler designs, and instantly see how changes affect lap times.
• Synopsys bundles Ansys Discovery tools with Omniverse integration. Teams get hands-on with CAD, CAE, and simulation workflows used by pro engineers.
• Every major STEM Racing event now features “demo days” where students access the full virtual workflow before hitting the real track.

This isn’t just for fun. It’s about learning modern engineering—CFD, simulation, and iterative design—using the same tech as Formula 1 teams.

Why This Matters for STEM and Motorsport

The STEM Racing program (formerly F1 in Schools) runs in 65 countries. Over 400,000 students get free access to advanced simulation tools and technical support.

• Students explore aerodynamic drag, tweak car shapes, and optimize designs for speed—all virtually.
• The digital twin workflow prepares students for engineering degrees and real-world careers, letting them experiment with complex concepts in a hands-on way.
• Industry leaders call this “state-of-the-art” for motorsport tech. Tim Costa, NVIDIA’s GM for industrial engineering, says, “Deploying physics-accurate digital twins… lets teams optimize for real-world performance through simulation alone.”

For many schools, this is the first time students get their hands on cutting-edge simulation software—bridging the gap between classroom theory and real engineering practice.

How the Digital Twin Workflow Actually Works

Technical details are finally public. Here’s how the system works:

• Teams design cars in CAD, then run CFD analysis using Ansys Discovery to test airflow and drag.
• All simulation data is visualized inside NVIDIA Omniverse, showing how design tweaks change performance in real time.
• Younger students get a simplified demo: tweak preset parts like spoilers, see instant results, and learn the basics of airflow.
• Advanced teams upload full custom designs, integrate simulation results, and iterate before building physical cars for real races.

Table: Key Features of Synopsys Digital Twin Racetrack

This is the same workflow pro engineers use in motorsport—now in the hands of high school and middle school teams.

What’s Next for STEM Racing and Digital Twins

This debut is just the beginning. Synopsys plans to expand access and roll out new features throughout the season:

• Demo workflows at every major STEM Racing event, letting thousands of teams test and refine designs before racing.
• More advanced simulation modules coming soon, including tire modeling and track-specific optimization.
• STEM Racing founder Andrew Denford calls it “a breakthrough for practical engineering skills.”

For students, the impact is huge: more creativity, better teamwork, and a path to real engineering degrees and jobs. For schools, it’s a new way to teach STEM—interactive, immersive, and instantly relevant.

Bottom line: Here’s what matters

Synopsys and NVIDIA just brought real-world motorsport engineering to the classroom. Over 400,000 students can now build, test, and race virtual F1 cars—using the same tech as the pros.

Want to see the future of STEM? It’s happening right now, at every STEM Racing event worldwide.

Photo by Angelo Moleele on Unsplash