WAMIT
WAMIT, Inc. develops and licenses specialized panel-method software for analyzing wave interactions with offshore platforms, floating structures, and vessels, serving 200+ industrial and research organizations worldwide from its base in Massachusetts.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1999
- HeadquartersChestnut Hill, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What WAMIT does
WAMIT, Inc. is a privately-held Massachusetts corporation founded in 1999 that develops and licenses specialized computational software for analyzing wave interactions with offshore platforms, floating structures, and vessels. The company's core product uses higher-order panel methods and boundary element methods to perform hydrodynamic analysis including radiation, diffraction, second-order nonlinear wave effects, mean drift forces, and multi-body interactions. The software originated from Version 1 announced at MIT in 1987 and has been continuously developed under a license agreement with MIT, with current Version 7 available for both Windows and Linux and the maintained Version 6S line offering complete second-order nonlinear analysis capabilities.
The product portfolio includes the core WAMIT software (Versions 6S and 7), user manuals, a theory manual, and a demonstration version. WAMIT generates revenue through direct software licensing to end users, with the company distributing licenses to industrial organizations, research institutions, and universities under its agreement with MIT. Upgrades are issued at approximately two-year intervals. The customer base spans more than 200 industrial and research organizations worldwide across two primary segments: the offshore oil and gas industry (platform design, tension leg platforms, wave energy converters, very large floating structures) and academic/research institutions conducting marine hydrodynamics research.
The company operates a consortium model (the WAMIT Consortium) that brings together offshore industry, university, and research organization representatives for collaborative R&D and annual meetings. WAMIT also maintains a technology integration partnership with AeroHydro Inc. to link its solver with the MultiSurf CAD program. The company is co-founded by Dr. Chang-Ho Lee and Prof. J. Nicholas Newman (Professor Emeritus at MIT and author of the standard textbook Marine Hydrodynamics), and the office is headquartered in Needham, Massachusetts.
WAMIT firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- WAMIT
- Legal name
- WAMIT, Inc.
- Website
- https://wamit.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1999
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- WAMIT, Inc. develops and licenses specialized panel-method software for analyzing wave interactions with offshore platforms, floating structures, and vessels, serving 200+ industrial and research organizations worldwide from its base in Massachusetts.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
WAMIT industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Marine Hydrodynamics Simulation Software
- NAICS
- Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing (334511), Support Activities for Water Transportation (4883)
- SIC
- Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Hydrodynamics & Performance Engineering (Resistance, Propulsion, Seakeeping, Maneuvering) (IMAJAGAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Concept & Feasibility Naval Architecture (Requirements, Trade Studies) (IMAJAGAA), Offshore Wind Substructures & Marine Engineering (Monopiles, Jackets, Floating) (EUAMACAE)
Keywords
Where WAMIT is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chestnut Hill
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
WAMIT business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Software Licensing: WAMIT generates revenue through licensing its software to industrial organizations, research institutions, and universities. Under a license agreement with MIT, WAMIT Inc. distributes licenses to end users and provides ongoing software upgrades and support.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels1 record
WAMIT product offering
Product offeringCore offering
WAMIT develops and licenses specialized panel method software for analyzing wave interactions with offshore platforms, floating structures, and vessels using higher-order boundary element methods. The product line includes WAMIT Version 7 (with parallel processing for Windows and Linux) and WAMIT Version 6S (with complete second-order nonlinear analysis), distributed under a license agreement with MIT to industrial organizations, research institutions, and universities worldwide.
Product overview
WAMIT is a specialized software application for analyzing wave interactions with offshore platforms, floating structures, and vessels. The product portfolio consists of the core WAMIT software (available in Version 6S and Version 7), supported by user manuals, theory documentation, and a demonstration version. Version 7 offers parallel processing capabilities and is available for both Windows and Linux, while Version 6S provides second-order nonlinear analysis capabilities. The company also maintains a consortium membership program for collaborative development and research access.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- WAMIT Version 7 Latest major version of the WAMIT panel method software, offering parallel processing with multi-processor support, RAM scratch files, and substantially faster run times for large complex hydrodynamic applications. Available for both Windows and Linux operating systems. Licensed to industrial organizations, research institutions, and universities performing wave interaction analysis of offshore platforms, vessels, and floating structures.
- WAMIT Version 6S Version of the WAMIT software with complete second-order nonlinear analysis capabilities in bichromatic and bidirectional waves, internal tank analysis with free surfaces, and mean drift force and moment calculations via momentum flux through control surfaces. Designed for engineers and researchers who require nonlinear hydrodynamic modeling of offshore platforms, vessels, and floating structures.
- WAMIT Consortium Membership Annual membership program that brings together representatives from the offshore industry, universities, and research organizations to collaborate on research and development of WAMIT software enhancements. Provides access to consortium reports, annual meetings, and collaborative development of new capabilities.
Quantifiable outcome
- Licensed to more than 200 organizations worldwide
Companies that use WAMIT
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
WAMIT technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
Feature7 records
WAMIT partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- WAMIT ConsortiumcoreThe WAMIT Consortium includes representatives from the offshore industry, universities, and research organizations. Annual consortium meetings are held to discuss applications of WAMIT and present new capabilities. Consortium participants collaborate on research and development of software enhancements.
- International Workshop on Water Waves and Floating Bodies (IWWWFB)minorWAMIT supports the IWWWFB organization and its website (www.iwwwfb.org). The company has also supported the Tuck Fellowship honoring Professor E. O. Tuck at the University of Adelaide, supporting student participation in the workshop.
- AeroHydro Inc.coreWAMIT entered an agreement with AeroHydro Inc. to license MultiSurf, RG2WAMIT.DLL and RGKERNEL.DLL to WAMIT software users. This integration facilitates a seamless transition from CAD design in MultiSurf to hydrodynamic analysis in WAMIT.
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)coreWAMIT was developed at MIT under a license agreement with MIT. Dr. Chang-Ho Lee and Prof. J. Nicholas Newman founded WAMIT Inc. in 1999 under this licensing arrangement. The company continues to work on developments and upgrades to extend WAMIT capabilities.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights4 records
WAMIT competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- ESI Group: ESI provides simulation software including marine and offshore applications through its Virtual Performance Solution suite, competing with WAMIT in virtual prototyping of marine structures and ship hydrodynamics.
- Lloyd's Register: Lloyd's Register develops ship and offshore engineering software and uses such tools internally for classification, providing an alternative ecosystem to WAMIT for naval architecture and offshore engineering analysis.
- ANSYS: ANSYS provides multiphysics simulation including ANSYS AQWA for marine hydrodynamics, overlapping WAMIT's wave-structure interaction capabilities but as part of a broad CAE portfolio serving naval architects and offshore engineers.
- Bureau Veritas: As a major classification society, Bureau Veritas develops and licenses marine engineering software and rules-based tools that compete with WAMIT in hydrodynamic verification of offshore and ship design.
- Bentley Systems: Bentley's SACS and MOSES products are widely used for offshore structural and hydrodynamics analysis, overlapping WAMIT's market for fixed and floating offshore platform design among engineering contractors.
Direct peers
- DNV: DNV offers Sesam and HydroD for marine hydrodynamics and offshore structural analysis, directly competing with WAMIT in diffraction/radiation analysis for ships and offshore platforms, and serving many of the same industrial and classification-society customers.
- BMT Group: BMT provides marine engineering consultancy and proprietary software tools for ship hydrodynamics and offshore engineering, directly comparable to WAMIT in serving shipyards, navies, and offshore operators with technical analysis tools.
- Orcina (OrcaFlex): OrcaFlex is a leading commercial tool for offshore dynamic analysis including wave-structure interaction, floating wind, and mooring systems, directly competing with WAMIT for offshore platform and floating-structure analysis projects.
Emerging players
- NEMOH (open-source): NEMOH is an open-source boundary-element code for wave-structure interaction developed at Ecole Centrale Nantes, offering panel-method functionality comparable to WAMIT for academic and research users at zero license cost.
- Cadence Design Systems (NUMECA): NUMECA (now part of Cadence) provides CFD software including marine and offshore applications, competing with WAMIT in computational hydrodynamics for ship and offshore structure designers.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
WAMIT social profiles
Digital presenceWAMIT financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
WAMIT leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
WAMIT funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
WAMIT M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about WAMIT
What does WAMIT do?
WAMIT develops and licenses specialized panel method software for analyzing wave interactions with offshore platforms, floating structures, and vessels using higher-order boundary element methods. The product line includes WAMIT Version 7 (with parallel processing for Windows and Linux) and WAMIT Version 6S (with complete second-order nonlinear analysis), distributed under a license agreement with MIT to industrial organizations, research institutions, and universities worldwide.
Is WAMIT a public or private company?
WAMIT is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was WAMIT founded?
WAMIT was founded in 1999. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is WAMIT based?
WAMIT is headquartered in Chestnut Hill, United States, in the North America region.
How does WAMIT make money?
One revenue line is on record: software Licensing.
Who are WAMIT's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are ESI Group, Lloyd's Register, ANSYS, Bureau Veritas and Bentley Systems. Direct peers are DNV, BMT Group and Orcina (OrcaFlex). Emerging players are NEMOH (open-source) and Cadence Design Systems (NUMECA).
Does WAMIT have an API?
No public API is recorded for WAMIT.
What industry is WAMIT in?
WAMIT's product category is Marine Hydrodynamics Simulation Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAJAGAB, Hydrodynamics & Performance Engineering (Resistance, Propulsion, Seakeeping, Maneuvering), with a secondary code of IMAJAGAA, Concept & Feasibility Naval Architecture (Requirements, Trade Studies). Its NAICS code is 334511 and its SIC code is 8731.