Motor Design

What Motor Design does

Motor Design Ltd is a specialist engineering software company founded in 1998 and headquartered in Wrexham, UK, that develops Motor-CAD — a dedicated multiphysics design and simulation tool for electric machines. The product addresses the full electric-machine development workflow through four integrated modules: EM (electromagnetic), Therm (thermal), Lab (characterization and parameter extraction from test data), and Mech (mechanical/structural), enabling engineers to model performance across electromagnetic, thermal, mechanical, and now acoustic/NVH domains within a single environment.

Motor-CAD is positioned within the broader Ansys simulation portfolio following Motor Design's acquisition by Ansys, and Ansys itself was acquired by Synopsys in 2025. The product is tightly integrated with other Ansys tools — Maxwell for high-fidelity electromagnetics, Ansys Mechanical for structural analysis, Ansys Fluent for CFD/thermal, optiSLang for design optimization and robustness analysis, and VRXPERIENCE for system-level simulation — allowing users to push Motor-CAD designs into wider multiphysics and system-simulation workflows. The company also operates an App Catalog and Developer Portal to enable partner and third-party extensions around the platform.

The business operates an enterprise B2B model: subscription/enterprise licensing with multi-year commitments to OEMs, Tier-1 suppliers, and engineering teams across automotive, aerospace and defense, industrial equipment, energy, and academic institutions, supplemented by a 30-day free trial and academic/free-student licensing (including a Formula SAE partnership). At the time of input, Motor Design is a small organization (firmographic headcount band 11–50) and no standalone revenue is disclosed; the product now functions as a line within Ansys under Synopsys, with global distribution reach provided through Ansys's enterprise channel and partner network.

Name

Motor Design

Legal name

ANSYS, Inc.

Website

https://motor-design.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Motor Design Ltd, founded in 1998 and headquartered in Wrexham, UK, develops Motor-CAD, a multiphysics simulation tool for electric-machine design covering electromagnetic, thermal, mechanical, and lab-characterization analysis. The product serves automotive, aerospace, industrial, and energy customers and now operates within Ansys under Synopsys.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Engineering Simulation Software

NAICS

Industrial Design Services (541420)

SIC

Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)

akta.pro primary industry

Spindles & High-Speed Drives (Machine Tool Spindles, High-speed Motors) (IMAGACAL)

Keywords

• Electric machine design
• Multiphysics simulation software
• Electromagnetic analysis
• Motor design software
• Thermal management simulation

Headquarters

HQ city

Wrexham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Software Licensing: Ansys operates on a software licensing model, typically offering enterprise licenses for Motor-CAD and related simulation products. The company provides subscription-based access alongside traditional perpetual licensing options, with software trials available for evaluation purposes.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Motor Design develops Ansys Motor-CAD, a dedicated electric machine design software that integrates four multiphysics modules—electromagnetic (EM), thermal (Therm), performance/loss map (Lab), and mechanical (Mech)—to enable rapid iterative simulation across the full torque-speed operating range. The software is used to evaluate motor topologies, optimize efficiency and losses, perform NVH and rotor stress analysis, and model cooling systems for electric motors in EV, aerospace, industrial, and energy applications.

Product overview

Ansys Motor-CAD is a dedicated electric machine design software offered as a core product with four integrated multiphysics modules: EM (electromagnetic), Therm (thermal), Lab (performance/loss maps), and Mech (mechanical/rotor stress). The product integrates with other Ansys physics solvers including Ansys Maxwell for advanced electromagnetics, Ansys Mechanical for structural/NVH analysis, Ansys optiSLang for optimization, and VRXPERIENCE for acoustic analysis. The 2026 R1 release advances axial flux machine capabilities with new Thermal module support (Beta) and enhanced magnetic and NVH features.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Motor-CAD: Dedicated electric machine design software for fast multiphysics simulation across the full torque-speed operating range. Features integrated modules: EM (electromagnetic), Therm (thermal), Lab (laboratory), and Mech (mechanical). Used for evaluating motor topologies, optimizing performance, efficiency and size.

Products and services

• Ansys Motor-CAD Dedicated electric machine design software for fast multiphysics simulation across the full torque-speed operating range. Combines electromagnetic, thermal, mechanical, and performance-map solvers in a single environment with template-based setup. Used by automotive, aerospace, industrial equipment, and energy engineering teams to design and optimize electric motors.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduced design cycle time through fast calculations and streamlined data input enabling exploration of more motor topologies
• +2 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, secondary and minor.

• Ansys MaxwellcoreTechnology or IntegrationDeep integration between Motor-CAD and Ansys Maxwell for advanced 2D and 3D electromagnetics analysis. The unified performance map supports automated Maxwell-Motor-CAD integration with magnetizing and leakage inductance Look-Up-Tables improving model accuracy.
• Ansys MechanicalcoreTechnology or IntegrationIntegration for electric machine noise and vibration (NVH) and psycho-acoustic sound prediction. Structural information from Mechanical improves the rapid analytical structural model for higher fidelity solutions.
• VRXPERIENCEsecondaryTechnology or IntegrationConnected with VRXPERIENCE for acoustic simulation and sound quality analysis of electric machines, enabling comprehensive NVH evaluation.
• Ansys CFD Solvers (Fluent, Rocky)coreTechnology or IntegrationConnection with Ansys CFD solvers enables cooling system design and analysis using air, water, and oil-based cooling techniques, with feedback into Motor-CAD's thermal model.
• Ansys optiSLangsecondaryTechnology or IntegrationIntegration with optiSLang for multiphysics optimization of electric motor NVH behavior, enabling optimization of motor noise alongside electromagnetic, thermal, and mechanical requirements.
• PythonsecondaryTechnology or IntegrationMotor-CAD supports Python scripting for data transfer and automation, with enhanced Python data-transfer capabilities significantly reducing analysis time across electric machine types.
• FSAE (Formula Student Electric & Solar)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTwo-part video tutorial series designed specifically with FSAE Electric & Solar teams in mind, covering electromagnetic analysis, torque calculations, winding current, efficiency maps, and torque speed curves.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• JMAG (JSOL Corporation): JMAG is a dedicated electric motor and electromagnetic simulation platform widely used in automotive and industrial motor design. It is the most direct functional competitor to Motor-CAD, offering multiphysics motor analysis across similar EV and industrial customer segments.
• Infolytica (MotorSolve): Infolytica's MotorSolve is a dedicated electric machine design tool focused on induction, PM, and synchronous reluctance machines. It is a direct specialist competitor to Motor-CAD in the same motor-design niche.
• Magsoft Corporation: Magsoft sells motor design and electromagnetic simulation software (Flux2D/3D heritage) targeted at electric machine designers in industrial and automotive markets. It is a smaller direct specialist competitor to Motor-CAD.
• Cedrat Group (Flux): Cedrat's Flux software is a finite-element electromagnetic simulation tool used for motor, actuator, and transformer design. It overlaps with Motor-CAD on electromagnetic analysis for electric machines, particularly in aerospace and industrial segments.
• Altair (Altair Flux / FluxMotor): Altair's Flux and FluxMotor products provide electromagnetic and electric machine design simulation targeting automotive traction motors, aerospace, and industrial applications — directly comparable to Motor-CAD's motor design and multiphysics workflow.
• COMSOL: COMSOL Multiphysics is a general-purpose multiphysics simulation platform with strong adoption in motor and electromagnetic design via add-on modules. It competes for the same engineering budget and overlaps with Motor-CAD on multiphysics motor workflows.

Others

• Synopsys: Synopsys is the current ultimate parent of Ansys and therefore Motor-CAD following the 2025 acquisition. It is an enabling/strategic participant (semiconductor EDA + system simulation) rather than a direct competitor in motor design software.
• Ansys Maxwell: Maxwell is the higher-fidelity 3D electromagnetics solver within the same Ansys/Synopsys product family as Motor-CAD. It is technically a complementary peer rather than a competitor, and its 2D/3D capabilities overlap with the high-end workflows Motor-CAD hands off to.

Broad incumbents

• Siemens Simcenter (including SPEED, MotorSolve heritage): Siemens Simcenter is a broad simulation portfolio that bundles electromagnetics, structural, and system-level tools used in electric machine development (including SPEED). It competes with Motor-CAD as part of a much wider PLM/CAE offering rather than as a dedicated motor tool.
• Dassault Systèmes SIMULIA: SIMULIA provides Abaqus and CST Studio Suite for structural and electromagnetic simulation used in motor and EV component design. It competes with Motor-CAD as part of a broad multiphysics CAE portfolio rather than a dedicated motor tool.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/motordesignltd
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/ansysinc
• Facebookfacebook.com/ansys
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ansys-inc
• Instagraminstagram.com/ansys_inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 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 Motor Design