Altair Announces Winners of 2023 Altair Optimization Contest

Kookmin University team wins first prize for structure optimization for battery pack safety in eco-friendly cars

TROY, Mich., Sept. 6, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Altair (Nasdaq: ALTR), a global leader in computational science and artificial intelligence (AI), has named the winners of the 2023 Altair Optimization Contest (AOC). The first place winner was the Kookmin University team of Sungtaek Kim and Euichan Hwang. The Altair Optimization Contest is a software competition that has been held since 2008 to strengthen the software capabilities of Korean university students and discover outstanding talents.

This year, 125 applicants (81 teams) from 40 universities across the country applied, and a total of five teams made it to the final round after a fierce competition. Altair selected the final five winners based on their rationality, practicality, originality, applicability, and optimization results.

In this contest, students of the Department of Automotive Engineering at Kookmin University, won the honorable first place. The team presented a case of optimizing a battery pack, a key component of an eco-friendly car. The team said they optimized the battery pack to provide an alternative to the phenomenon of battery thermal runaway, which is a major cause of fires as the electric vehicle(EV) industry has grown rapidly in recent years.

"It was great that while preparing for the contest, we were able to freely use FEM (Finite Element Method) software, which is fundamental to engineering, with the license provided by Altair," said the Kookmin University team. "In particular, by studying a lot about optimization, I was able to learn more than what I learned at school, so I hope many students will take on the challenge."

Altair awarded a total of 2.4 million won in prize money and certificates to the five teams that advanced to the finals, including a gold prize of 1 million won, a silver prize of 500,000 won, and a bronze prize of 200,000 won.

"We are happy to see a bright outlook for the future in the innovative proposals created by the students' passion and creativity," said Songsoo Moon, Senior Vice President, Asia Pacific, Altair. "Altair supports students who proactively solve problems and realize innovative ideas. We look forward to creating a better future together."

The complete list of winners is below.

1st Prize (GOLD)

Kookmin University: Sungtack Kim, Euichan Hwang

2nd Prize (SILVER)

Konkuk University: Jaekyung Ko, Youngwoo Jang Konkuk University: Byungho Kang, Cheonha Park

3rd Prize (BRONZE)

Dongguk University: Jinho Kim, Younghoon Lee Changwon National University: Minseong Cho

About Altair
Altair is a global leader in computational science and artificial intelligence (AI) that provides software and cloud solutions in simulation, high-performance computing (HPC), data analytics, and AI. Altair enables organizations across all industries to compete more effectively and drive smarter decisions in an increasingly connected world – all while creating a greener, more sustainable future. For more information, visit https://www.altair.com/.

Media contacts
Altair Corporate                                                
Jennifer Ristic
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