Obayashi Corporation Starts Evaluating RICOS AI-CAE to Accelerate Building Wind Load Analysis

RICOS (Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Yu Ihara) today announced that it has begun a joint evaluation of its AI-CAE solution with Obayashi Corporation (Minato-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Toshimi Sato). As part of this initiative, Obayashi has started evaluating wind load prediction on buildings using RICOS’s AI-CAE solution, RICOS Lightning, which leverages machine learning technology.

Wind load evaluation on buildings is typically conducted using wind tunnel experiments or Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). These methods often require significant computation time when analyzing multiple wind directions or design variations. Through this evaluation, Obayashi will explore the use of RICOS Lightning to predict wind load on buildings. The project aims to enable faster and more comprehensive design studies, improving efficiency in the architectural design process.

■About IsoGCN, RICOS’s Proprietary Algorithm Used in RICOS Lightning
RICOS Lightning incorporates IsoGCN, a proprietary AI algorithm developed by RICOS, designed to predict simulation results with both high speed and high accuracy. IsoGCN is specifically optimized for engineering simulation data and offers the following key features:

1. Accelerated computation
IsoGCN significantly reduces computational requirements compared with conventional simulation methods, enabling substantial acceleration of engineering analysis.

2. Deep understanding of 3D geometry
The algorithm can effectively capture complex three-dimensional geometries, making it well suited for real-world product designs that involve intricate shapes.

3. Strong generalization to new geometries
Because IsoGCN integrates principles used in fluid, thermal, and structural analysis, it can provide reliable predictions even for previously unseen product geometries, similar to traditional physics-based simulation approaches.

4. Simplified workflow
IsoGCN eliminates the need for the rigorous meshing processes typically required in conventional CAE simulations. This enables faster onboarding for engineers and allows non-specialists—such as designers and product planners—to utilize simulation tools more easily.

Using this technology, RICOS Lightning has demonstrated the ability to reduce simulation times from several days to just minutes while maintaining practical accuracy. The near-instant availability of simulation results also enables more interactive and iterative product design workflows.
IsoGCN has already been applied in multiple domains, including automotive aerodynamics analysis, thermal analysis of electronic components, and thermo-fluid simulations of gas flows.

Through its products, RICOS aims to make advanced scientific computing accessible across manufacturing industries, ultimately enabling a future where optimal product performance can be explored and designed almost instantly

■Company information
Obayashi Corporation
Headquarters: 2-15-2 Konan, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan
President and CEO: Toshimi Sato
Website: https://www.obayashi.co.jp/

RICOS Co. Ltd.
Headquarters: 2-3-2 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan
CEO: Yu Ihara
Website: https://www.ricos.co.jp/
Careers: https://www.ricos.co.jp/recruit/