IFPEN and Inria join forces to support the energy transition

IFPEN and Inria are launching a strategic partnership on high-performance simulation and Artificial Intelligence (AI) for the exploitation of data to support the energy transition

The collaboration between IFPEN and Inria forms part of the effort to accelerate the development of new competitive and environmentally-friendly technologies, in line with the ambitions of the French National Low-Carbon Strategy (SNBC).

The reinforcement of the existing agreement, extended to the energy transition

In 2015, IFPEN and Inria signed a framework partnership agreement in the field of high-performance computation (HPC) and real-time computation applied to energy optimization and the environment. The success of the joint research conducted by the two organizations highlighted the benefits of pooling their expertise and underlined the importance of combining advances in the field of digital technology with the development of innovations for the energy transition.

The new “HPC/AI/HPDA Convergence for the Energy Transition” joint research laboratory reinforces and extends the scope of the partnership to include artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance data analysis (HPDA). It will be jointly led by the scientific divisions of the two organizations, with an initial budget of €2 million.

The first fields of interest

Five research themes have already been jointly identified, and will be launched in October 2020, to support the development of digital twins and design numerical tools aimed at researchers to facilitate innovation:

• floating wind turbine modeling and monitoring
• the acceleration of simulations based on complex modeling
• assisted discovery via the molecular simulation of new catalysts for converting raw materials (biomass, solar energy) into biofuels and bioproducts
• 4D modeling of the evolution of sedimentary basin deformation over time
• knowledge management and assisted selective research via AI approaches

concerning multiform documentary data.

For Pierre-Franck Chevet, Chairman and CEO of IFPEN “This new partnership illustrates our shared determination to exploit digital transformation technologies for the benefit of the energy transition, and thereby contribute to the development of technological innovations.”

Bruno Sportisse, Chairman and CEO of Inria comments: “The intensification of our collaboration is part of the dynamics of Inria's new contract of objectives and performance, Ambition Inria 2023. The complementary nature of our expertise will make it possible to both pose and solve scientific challenges and to accelerate the dynamics of innovation”.

Press Contacts:

IFPEN : Anne-Laure de Marignan,  +33 (0)1 47 52 62 07 - presse@ifpen.fr

Inria : Laurence Goussu, Inria, +33 (0)6 81 44 17 33 - laurence.goussu@inria.fr