The Neil Ashton Podcast

Why leave NVIDIA to join Mistral? In this episode, Neil Ashton explains his move to Mistral as VP of Computational Engineering, where he will work alongside Johannes Brandstetter on AI for engineering, physics foundation models and large language models. Neil reflects on the career decisions that took him from Manchester and Formula 1 to Oxford, NASA collaborations, AWS and NVIDIA. He shares what...

Should you still study engineering when AI can already write code, analyse data and automate parts of an engineer's job? In this solo episode, Neil Ashton gives his view on engineering education and careers in the age of AI. His answer is yes—but the skill set is changing. Neil explains why engineering fundamentals still matter, where AI can act as an enabler, what students and early-career en...

Hydrogen combustion, high-fidelity CFD and the future of aircraft propulsion are the focus of this conversation with Dr. Daniel Mira, Head of the Propulsion Technologies Group at the Barcelona Supercomputing Center. Neil and Dani discuss why reacting flows are so difficult to simulate, how hydrogen changes combustion and aircraft design, the limits of RANS, LES and DNS, GPU-native solvers, coding...

Differentiable physics, neural emulators and foundation models for PDEs are the focus of this conversation with Professor Nils Thuerey, head of the Physics-based Simulation group at TUM. Neil and Nils discuss PhiFlow, PICT, Tadpole, scalable 3D transformers, online synthetic data, open datasets, world models and agents that call physics simulators. Full episode, corrected transcript and resources:...

In this episode, Professor Paola Cinnella - Professor of Fluid Mechanics at Sorbonne University and Director of the Sorbonne Cluster for Artificial Intelligence (SCAI) - joins Neil to discuss her path from classical fluid mechanics and high-order numerical methods into uncertainty quantification, Bayesian methods, data-driven turbulence modeling and AI for Science. Paola has built a career at the...

In this episode, Professor Ricardo Vinuesa - Associate Chair for Research and Associate Professor of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Michigan - explores with Neil one of the biggest questions in modern fluid mechanics: can AI help us move beyond faster CFD and toward genuine autonomous scientific discovery? Drawing on his work at the intersection of turbulence, machine learning, explain...

In this in-depth conversation, Professor J. Nathan Kutz — Director of Physics-Informed AI at Autodesk and one of the leading figures in data-driven modeling, dynamical systems, and scientific machine learning — shares his journey from academia to industry and reflects on how AI is reshaping engineering. Known for influential contributions to methods such as Dynamic Mode Decomposition and Sparse Id...

In this episode, Neil explores how agents, foundation models, and AI are set to transform the Computer-Aided Engineering (CAE) and Electronic Design Automation (EDA) landscapes. He shares a comprehensive historical perspective and predicts a near-future where AI-driven automation redefines engineering workflows, productivity, and innovation. Main Topics: The evolution of simulation codes from the...

In this conversation, Neil Ashton and Prof. Siddhartha Mishra, and Prof. Johannes Brandstetter discuss their recent paper on AI foundation models in computational fluid dynamics (CFD). They explore the backgrounds of the speakers, the journey to writing the paper, the role of AI in CFD, and the challenges of scaling laws and data generation. The discussion also covers model training costs, open qu...

In this episode, Neil Ashton discusses various conferences and workshops in the automotive, aerospace, and machine learning fields. He highlights the importance of these events for networking, education, and staying updated with industry trends. From the SAE and AIAA events to machine learning workshops, Neil provides insights into what attendees can expect and the value of participating in these...

In this episode of the Neil Ashton podcast, the host revisits key trends in Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) from the past year, focusing on the rise of GPUs, advancements in AI and machine learning, the shift to cloud computing, the increasing adoption of high fidelity methods, and ongoing mergers and acquisitions in the industry. Each trend is explored in depth, highlighting the implications f...

In this episode, Professor Brian Launder (Professor at the University of Manchester and Fellow of the Royal Society and Royal Academy of Engineers) shares his remarkable journey through academia, detailing his early fascination with heat transfer, his transition to MIT, and his significant contributions to turbulence modeling and computational fluid dynamics (CFD). We touch upon the key role that...

In this episode, Joris Poort, CEO and founder of Rescale, shares his personal journey on founding Rescale as well as his thoughts on the future of CAE. He discusses the challenges of introducing HPC to the cloud market, the traits that make successful founders, and the importance of perseverance and execution in entrepreneurship. Joris reflects on the early days of Rescale, the significance of ear...

In this episode of the Neil Ashton podcast, Neil discusses the impact of AI on CAE engineering, providing five essential tips for engineers to thrive in this evolving landscape. The conversation covers the importance of maintaining an open mind, continuous education, and preparing for AI physics applications. It also delves into the build vs. buy dilemma for AI solutions and the emerging concept o...

In this conversation, Neil Ashton interviews Prof. Johannes Brandstetter, a physicist turned machine learning expert, about his journey from academia to industry, focusing on the application of machine learning in engineering and computational fluid dynamics (CFD). They discuss the Aurora project, the challenges of integrating machine learning with engineering, and the importance of data in traini...

In this episode of the Neil Ashton podcast, Professor Russell Cummings shares his extensive journey through the fields of aerodynamics, computational fluid dynamics and hypersonics. He discusses his early inspirations, his early days at University and the Hughes Aircraft Company - a key time during this life. He also talks about  the cyclical nature of hypersonics research, and the challenges face...

In this episode of the Neil Ashton podcast, Professor Mike Giles shares his extensive journey through the fields of computational fluid dynamics (CFD), computational finance and HPC. He discusses his early academic influences, his early days at Cambridge, internships at Rolls-Royce, his transition to MIT and Oxford where he made significant contributions to high-performance computing and numerical...

In this episode of the Neil Ashton podcast, the discussion revolves around foundational models in fluid dynamics, particularly in the context of computational fluid dynamics (CFD). Neil shares insights from a recent panel discussion and explores the potential of AI in predicting fluid behavior. He discusses the evolution of AI in CFD, the challenges of data availability, and the differing adoption...

In this episode of the Neil Ashton podcast,  Neil discusses the intersection of cycling and engineering with Kurt Bergin-Taylor, head of innovation at Tudor Pro Cycling. They explore how technology and science are transforming cycling into a more competitive and innovative sport, akin to Formula One. The conversation covers various aspects of cycling, including the importance of aerodynamics, nutr...

A short episode to give a brief update on what I've been doing and to say sorry for not putting out episodes recently. I've joined NVIIDA as a Distinguished CAE Architect and have been rather busy! New episodes will be coming soon! Listen to the episode to learn more. 

In this episode of the Neil Ashton podcast, Neil discusses career advice for aspiring engineers, focusing on the differences between various types of companies, job roles, and the growing importance of software skills in the engineering field. The conversation highlights the pros and cons of working in large enterprises, startups, and consulting firms, as well as the diverse career paths available...

In this episode of the Neil Ashton podcast, Professor Michael Mahoney discusses the intersection of machine learning, mathematics, and computer science. The conversation covers topics such as randomized linear algebra, foundational models for science, and the debate between physics-informed and data-driven approaches. Prof. Mahoney shares insights on the relevance of his research, the potential of...

In this episode of the Neil Ashton Podcast, Dr. Prith Banerjee, CTO of Ansys, shares his extensive journey from academia to the corporate world, discussing the interplay between academia and industry, the role of startups in innovation, and the transformative potential of AI and ML in simulation. He emphasizes the importance of solving real-world problems and the need for collaboration between aca...

In this episode of the Neil Ashton podcast, Peter Coen from NASA discusses the evolution and future of supersonic travel, focusing on the challenges faced by the Concorde, the technological hurdles of modern supersonic aircraft, and the innovative NASA Quesst mission (and X-59 demonstrator) that aims to provide crucial data to rewrite the aviation noise regulations. The conversation delves into th...

In this episode of the Neil Ashton podcast, we celebrate the life and contributions of Professor Antony Jameson, a pioneer in Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). The conversation explores his early influences, academic journey, and significant contributions to aerodynamics and engineering. Professor Jameson shares insights from his career in both academia and industry, highlighting pivotal moments...