Livermore Software Technology Corporation (LSTC)

What Livermore Software Technology Corporation (LSTC) does

Livermore Software Technology Corporation (LSTC), founded in 1987 in Livermore, California, is the developer of LS-DYNA, a general-purpose finite element analysis (FEA) software used to simulate complex real-world problems through explicit and implicit integration methods. The product supports multiphysics simulations including structural mechanics, thermal analysis, fluid dynamics (ALE, ICFD, CESE), electromagnetics, and coupled physics, and serves primarily automotive OEMs and suppliers, aerospace and defense contractors, manufacturing and industrial firms, and to a lesser extent civil engineering organizations. The technical portfolio centers on a high-performance explicit dynamics solver (long the industry standard for crashworthiness), an implicit mechanical solver, advanced contact algorithms (including Mortar, tied-offset, and beam-to-shell formulations), 300+ validated material models, and MPP (massively parallel processing) support for large-scale simulations. The product is complemented by an ecosystem of optimization tools (LS-OPT, LS-TaSC, Diffcrash), pre- and post-processors (LS-PrePost, WinSuite, Primer, Ansys Forming), and validated model libraries (barrier, pedestrian, human body, materials).

LSTC was acquired by Ansys, Inc. (NASDAQ: ANSS) in 2019 and now operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary, with LS-DYNA distributed and supported through Ansys's global enterprise field sales organization. Revenue is generated primarily through subscription-based enterprise site licenses (annual or multi-year contracts) and recurring maintenance and support agreements, with quote-based pricing negotiated through Ansys sales representatives or regional distributors; a freemium academic/student license channel seeds the next-generation user pipeline. The company has sustained a continuous major-release cadence, with the latest version R17.0.0 released on June 11, 2026, and the unified Ansys LS-DYNA 2026 R1 release under the broader Ansys product umbrella.

The founder, John O. Hallquist, established LSTC in 1987, and the company has historically operated with a focused headcount of 101-250 employees concentrated on solver development and engineering support. Strategic priorities visible from the input data include continued expansion of multiphysics solver capabilities, deeper integration with the Ansys simulation portfolio, battery and EV-market enablement, and ecosystem engagement through the annual International LS-DYNA Conference and the Ansys Innovation Space community.

Name

Livermore Software Technology Corporation (LSTC)

Legal name

Livermore Software Technology Corporation

Website

https://lstc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Livermore Software Technology Corporation (LSTC) develops LS-DYNA, a general-purpose finite element analysis software for explicit and implicit multiphysics simulation, serving automotive, aerospace, defense, and manufacturing engineering organizations through enterprise site licenses distributed by Ansys following its 2019 acquisition.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Engineering Simulation Software

NAICS

Computer Systems Design Services (541512), Custom Computer Programming Services (541511), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (5415)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro primary industry

Business Rules & Decision Management Platforms (BRMS/DMN) (HDAEAKAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Process & Case Management Low-Code Platforms (HDAEAKAE)

Keywords

• Finite element analysis
• Crash simulation software
• Multiphysics simulation
• Structural dynamics solver
• Explicit dynamics software

Headquarters

HQ city

Livermore

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Software Licenses: LS-DYNA is sold as annual or perpetual software licenses with the license string 'REVISION 14' (or appropriate version) required in the license file to run specific versions. Licenses are managed through LSTC's license server infrastructure.
2. Maintenance and Support: Annual maintenance contracts providing access to software updates, technical support, and bug fixes. Releases include new features, enhancements, and bug fixes as documented in detailed release notes.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

LSTC develops and sells LS-DYNA, a general-purpose finite element analysis (FEA) software used for explicit and implicit simulations of structural dynamics, crash, impact, forming, and multiphysics problems. The core solver is complemented by optimization tools (LS-OPT, LS-TaSC, Diffcrash), pre/post-processors (LS-PrePost, WinSuite, Primer), specialized forming solutions (Ansys Forming), and validated model libraries (barrier, pedestrian, human body, and material models).

Product overview

LSTC's product portfolio centers on LS-DYNA, a comprehensive finite element analysis (FEA) solver for explicit and implicit simulations. The core product is complemented by a suite of optimization tools including LS-OPT for multidisciplinary optimization, LS-TaSC for topology synthesis, and Diffcrash for crash-specific optimization. Pre and post-processing capabilities are provided through LS-PrePost as the primary interface, along with WinSuite and the DYNAmore ECO SYSTEM for specialized preprocessing needs. Primer provides advanced crash and forming preprocessing, while Ansys Forming offers specialized forming simulation capabilities. LSTC also provides validated model libraries including barrier models, pedestrian models, human body models, and an extensive material model library spanning over 300 material formulations. The company was acquired by Ansys, and its products are now distributed and supported through the Ansys ecosystem.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• LS-DYNA: Explicit and implicit finite element analysis software for crashworthiness, structural analysis, and multiphysics simulations.
• LS-OPT
• LS-PrePost
• LS-TaSC

Products and services

• LS-DYNA General-purpose finite element analysis software for simulating complex real-world problems using explicit and implicit integration methods. Supports multiphysics simulations including structural mechanics, thermal analysis, fluid dynamics (ALE, ICFD, CESE), electromagnetics, and coupled physics simulations across aerospace, automotive, manufacturing, and biomedical sectors.
• LS-OPT Optimization and design exploration tool that integrates with LS-DYNA to perform multidisciplinary optimization, reliability analysis, and robust design studies, enabling engineers to automatically explore design spaces and identify optimal solutions.
• LS-TaSC Topology and shape synthesis tool that generates optimal structural designs based on defined design criteria, constraints, and loads, using LS-DYNA as the analysis engine to evaluate candidate designs.
• Diffcrash Specialized tool for crash simulation optimization and automated design analysis, providing sensitivity analysis and optimization capabilities tailored to vehicle crashworthiness applications.
• LS-PrePost Preprocessor and postprocessor for LS-DYNA providing graphical model building, mesh generation, boundary condition definition, and comprehensive result visualization. Serves as the primary user interface for preparing LS-DYNA input decks and analyzing simulation results.
• WinSuite Suite of tools for preprocessing, solution monitoring, and postprocessing that provides an integrated Windows-based environment for LS-DYNA simulations.
• Primer Specialized preprocessor for crash and forming simulations offering advanced model preparation capabilities, particularly for creating complex contact definitions and part assemblies.
• Ansys Forming Specialized forming and stamping simulation solution that leverages LS-DYNA's explicit and implicit solvers for sheet metal forming, tube forming, and springback predictions.
• Human Body Model Comprehensive human body models for occupant safety analysis including THUMS (Total Human Model for Safety) and other validated anthropomorphic test devices for evaluating injury criteria in vehicle crashes.
• LSTC Barrier Models Library of pre-validated barrier and roadside safety models including vehicle-to-barrier, MASH tests, and various guardrail configurations, enabling rapid setup of vehicle safety simulations.
• Pedestrian Model Validated human body models for pedestrian impact simulations, representing various pedestrian postures and anatomies for evaluating vehicle-pedestrian collision scenarios.
• Material Models Extensive library of constitutive material models including metals, composites, foams, elastomers, concrete, soils, and user-defined materials, covering over 300 material formulations for simulating diverse material behaviors under various loading conditions.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature12 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Ansys, Inc.flagshipOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerAnsys acquired LSTC and now hosts LS-DYNA on the lsdyna.ansys.com platform. LSTC operates as a subsidiary within the Ansys family, with LS-DYNA integrated into Ansys's broader simulation portfolio. The acquisition provides LSTC access to Ansys's global sales network, customer base, and complementary technologies.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Peers

• PTC: PTC offers Creo Simulate and the broader Creo CAD/PLM suite with structural and thermal simulation capabilities that intersect with LS-DYNA's mechanical analysis use cases. It is a broad incumbent competing for engineering simulation budget within discrete manufacturing customers.

Direct peers

• Altair Engineering: Altair is the closest direct peer through its Altair Radioss explicit dynamics solver, which competes head-to-head with LS-DYNA in crash, impact, and forming simulation. Both serve the same automotive, aerospace, and manufacturing customers with comparable solver technology and licensing models.
• ESI Group: ESI Group provides virtual prototyping software for crash, forming, and welding with solvers that overlap LS-DYNA's core use cases. ESI's focus on automotive and aerospace manufacturing process simulation makes it a direct competitor for the same customer workloads.

Broad incumbents

• Siemens Digital Industries Software (Simcenter): Siemens Simcenter includes NX Nastran, StarCCM+, and Samcef for structural and multi-physics simulation, directly competing for automotive and aerospace CAE budgets where LS-DYNA is also deployed. It is a broad incumbent across the integrated CAD-CAE-PLM stack.
• Ansys: Ansys is LSTC's parent company and the broader CAE platform whose Workbench, Mechanical, Fluent, and HFSS products complement LS-DYNA. It is a broad incumbent because it offers a full multi-physics suite where LS-DYNA is one specialized solver within that portfolio.
• Autodesk: Autodesk offers simulation through Fusion 360 Simulation, CFD, and Moldflow, addressing mechanical and forming use cases that partially overlap LS-DYNA. It is a broad incumbent in design and engineering software that competes for the same mid-market and entry-level simulation workloads.
• Dassault Systèmes (SIMULIA / Abaqus): Dassault's SIMULIA brand offers Abaqus for structural analysis and the 3DEXPERIENCE platform for broader simulation. It competes with LS-DYNA in implicit and explicit structural analysis for automotive and aerospace customers and is a broad multi-physics incumbent.
• Hexagon (MSC Software): Hexagon's MSC Software division provides Nastran, Marc, and Adams for structural and durability simulation that overlaps LS-DYNA's automotive and aerospace workloads. It is a broad incumbent serving similar enterprise customers in regulated industries.

Emerging players

• BETA CAE Systems: BETA CAE provides ANSA pre-processors and META post-processors that interoperate with LS-DYNA (and compete with LS-PrePost). It is an emerging-adjacent player in the LS-DYNA ecosystem that also offers its own solver solutions and services.
• Coreform: Coreform provides isogeometric analysis (IGA) based solvers that overlap with LS-DYNA's emerging IGA capabilities. It is an emerging player in advanced structural analysis methods relevant to LS-DYNA's higher-order element and NURBS-based geometry features.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lstc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Livermore Software Technology Corporation (LSTC)