NVIDIA is spearheading a new technological initiative in Brazil’s renewable energy sector, focusing on the operation of offshore wind farms. In collaboration with Pix Force, a Brazilian AI startup, and Tidewise, a specialist in naval service technology, NVIDIA is using its Omniverse platform to create an integrated digital ecosystem. With support from CPQD, the project integrates digital twins, AI, and computer vision technologies to optimize the operation, maintenance, and safety of wind farms.
A key element of the project is the W Tupan autonomous vessel, equipped with sensors and a drone, which gathers essential data for developing digital twins of offshore assets. The Omniverse, the project’s central platform, enables the integration of this data into detailed real-time simulations and 3D models. This facilitates continuous monitoring and the automation of predictive maintenance processes, ensuring greater safety and operational efficiency in complex and remote environments.
According to Marcio Aguiar, NVIDIA’s Enterprise Division Director for Latin America, the project underscores NVIDIA’s commitment to transforming the renewable energy sector with its technology, delivering significant improvements in safety, efficiency, and competitiveness. “With Omniverse, we enable real-time simulations, providing a solid foundation through physics-informed neural networks (NVIDIA Modulus) and advanced management of offshore wind farms,” he said.
NVIDIA Solutions Address Offshore Technical Challenges
Through Omniverse and the NVIDIA AI Enterprise platform, NVIDIA offers a range of solutions to complex technical challenges in the offshore sector, such as real-time data integration, advanced visualization, and precise 3D simulations. These technologies are critical for successful operations in hard-to-access and monitored environments, like offshore wind farms, where failure prediction and rapid response are crucial for safety and efficiency.
The Omniverse platform will run in an on-premise environment hosted on Pix Force servers in Porto Alegre, supported by NVIDIA L40S GPUs for high-performance data processing and simulations. This infrastructure ensures the efficiency of digital twins and simulations. Additionally, the partnership with NVIDIA’s Inception program provides specific benefits, such as discounts on GPU acquisition and technical support, essential for optimizing the use of NVIDIA technologies in the project.
Innovation and Sustainability in Brazil’s Energy Sector
The solution under development uses Omniverse to support different phases of an offshore wind farm’s lifecycle. Initially, the tool aims to assist in data collection during the pre-installation phase and, later, support operations and maintenance activities. Part of the solution will be validated at an onshore wind farm, with plans to expand its application to other projects in the energy sector and other areas where Pix Force and Tidewise operate.
Daniel Moura, CEO of Pix Force, highlighted the project’s positive impact on the feasibility and environmental approval stages of offshore wind farms. “Offshore wind farms are a reality worldwide, but Brazil is lagging behind. There are over 100 licensing requests, but none have been approved so far. With this project, we aim to accelerate this process,” he said.
Rafael Coelho, CEO of Tidewise, emphasized the company’s technology, successfully tested in Belgium, which can identify essential data such as bathymetry and the observation of morphological and artificial features. “We want to accelerate the transition to a safer and more sustainable maritime industry, revolutionizing this niche and demonstrating that a Brazilian company can be an international reference,” he stated.
About NVIDIA
Since its founding in 1993, NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA) has been a pioneer in accelerated computing. The company’s invention of the GPU in 1999 spurred the growth of the PC gaming market, redefined computer graphics, initiated the modern AI era, and has supported industrial digitalization across all sectors. NVIDIA is now a full-stack computing company with data center-scale solutions that are revolutionizing the industry.