The New York Yacht Club (NYYC) American Magic team has partnered with Michigan-based Altair to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) to get ahead of its competition at the upcoming America’s Cup this August. Their collaborative effort has led to the development of the new version of the AC75 yacht, which is expected to “fly” at speeds exceeding 55 miles (88 km) an hour.
“Recent cycles of the cup have seen significant development towards hydrofoiling yachts at scales not seen before which allows them to reach speeds well beyond typical sailboats,” said Julien Chaussee, technical manager at Altair.
Unlike other sailing competitions, the America’s Cup is a competition between sailing clubs rather than specific yachts, sailors, or crew. The clubs mutually agree upon design rules for their yachts, or they can return to default rules that govern the competition. In any of these cases, the competition gives the clubs and their engineers ample freedom to design their yachts and optimize their performance.
How Fast Can These Yachts Go?
A typical sailboat can travel at speeds up to twice the velocity of the wind. However, the AC75 class of yachts that competed at last year’s America’s Cup were able to reach speeds of 30-50 miles an hour.
“An AC75 will only need 9-12 mph of wind for the yachts to “take off” and fly on their hydrofoils. Once “airborne,” they easily reach speeds 3 to 4 times that of current wind velocity,” Chaussee explained in his email. This year, NYCC expects its yachts to sail 55-60 miles an hour, appearing to fly out of the water.
The Role of AI in Yacht Performance
As the yachts’ velocity increases, aerodynamic forces come into play and can significantly reduce a yacht’s performance. Since the competition rules allow only limited testing, teams use simulators to train their sailors. NYCC is taking things further and deploying AI to improve its chances of winning the competition, which is scheduled to be held in Barcelona this year.
Altair and NYCC have been working on the current design of the AC75 for over two years. Although Chaussee could not reveal the exact nature of the work that went into the design and development of this year’s AC75, he said that AI was used to process the large amounts of data generated during the process.
The team used sailing data from current and previous events to identify patterns or compare ideas. They employed self-learning algorithms or bots that trained themselves to sail around the course using the fastest route or carry out specific maneuvers. Combining the sailing crew’s experience with AI will help the newly designed yacht achieve its full potential.
“We are thankful to have had Altair’s technology and support propel our journey to win the 37th America’s Cup,” said Mike Cazer, chief executive officer of NYYC American Magic. “Altair’s best-in-class technology was crucial in helping us design a yacht that enhances the team’s capability to win the America’s Cup in October.”
The Unpredictability of Weather
Although the teams have combined all their technical expertise, one factor could upend the winning plans: weather.
“While teams have vast amounts of historical weather data for Barcelona during the competition dates, they cannot predict the actual wind and sea state they’ll encounter during the America’s Cup,” explained Chaussee.
As the countdown to the America’s Cup continues, NYYC American Magic’s innovative use of AI, combined with their sailing expertise, sets them on a promising path towards victory in Barcelona.
