Before a simulation firm changes hands
Selling a simulation consultancy? Check the run archive first
Updated
Much of what a CFD or FEA consultancy is worth sits in its archive of past runs. A sale is the moment to confirm the firm can take that archive out of the tools that hold it.
Is the archive the firm's to hand over?
7 of the 8 vendors on our board leave the results with the customer. Check the one that does not state it, and any client contract, before the archive goes into the sale.
Source: Simulation software data terms
Will the cloud still hold it on completion?
Rescale, Luminary Cloud and Siemens give 30 days after a subscription ends and Ansys may delete within that time, so a sale that cancels licences early can lose results that were never downloaded.
Source: Simulation software data terms
Who might take the runs for AI training?
No organisation we read names simulation results, so these are the nearest intakes: Defined.ai lists technical content, and Mercor, micro1 and Troveo pay companies for the data they hold.
Source: Where simulation results can be offered for AI training
The export rules that may apply to runs on controlled parts are at are simulation results export controlled.