SALOME

What SALOME does

SALOME is an open-source numerical simulation platform jointly co-developed and maintained by EDF (Électricité de France) and CEA (Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives), two French state-owned enterprises, with technical support from OpenCASCADE (a Cap Gemini subsidiary). The project originated in September 2000 within France's RNTL research network as SALOME 1 and has been under continuous development for more than two decades, with major versions progressing from SALOME 2 (2004) and SALOME 3 (2006) through SALOME 5 (2009, introducing YACS code coupling), SALOME 6 (2012, PARAVIS visualization), SALOME 7 (2015, MEDCoupling library), SALOME 8 (2018, FIELDS module), and SALOME 9 (2020, Python 3 migration with SHAPER parametric CAD). The most recent release, SALOME 9.15.0, shipped in 2025. The platform serves structural-mechanics engineers, CFD researchers, hydraulic engineers, uncertainty analysts, and academic institutions that need integrated pre/post-processing for multiphysics simulation in nuclear, energy, and industrial contexts.

The platform is organized as a modular architecture combining a Python, C++, and CORBA-based core with eleven specialized modules: SHAPER (parametric CAD), SMESH (mesh generation with hexahedral, tetrahedral, and quadrilateral support plus integration with NETGEN, GMSH, and commercial MeshGems plugins), PARAVIS (ParaView/VTK-based scientific visualization), YACS (workflow supervision and code coupling), ADAO (data assimilation and optimization), OpenTURNS (uncertainty quantification with Monte Carlo, FORM/SORM, Sobol indices, Bayesian calibration, polynomial chaos expansion, and kriging), Uranie (CEA's uncertainty platform built on CERN ROOT), SolverLab (PDE solving via finite volumes backed by PETSc), HOMARD (mesh adaptation), FIELDS/MEDCoupling (mesh and field manipulation on the MED/HDF5 format), and four domain application bundles: salome_meca (code_aster for thermomechanics including seismic, porous media, acoustics, fatigue, and stochastic dynamics), salome_cfd (code_saturne and Neptune_CFD for CFD), salome hydro (TELEMAC-MASCARET for free surface hydraulics), and TRUST (CEA's HPC thermal-hydraulic solver demonstrated beyond 2 billion elements across 50,000 processors). SALOME supports Linux (Debian, Ubuntu, CentOS, Fedora) and Windows 10/11, with Python 3 scripting across all modules and pip-based package management since version 9.4.

SALOME operates under a community-led, non-commercial business model. The software is distributed free of charge under GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL) version 2.1, with no commercial pricing, no venture funding, and no publicly disclosed revenue. Users download pre-compiled binaries from salome-platform.org or compile from source on GitHub, engage through an active Discourse forum at discourse.salome-platform.org, and participate in annual User Days hosted at EDF Lab Paris-Saclay. Training is delivered through a partnership with OpenCASCADE and Kitware. The two named institutional users — EDF and CEA — are simultaneously co-developers, co-maintainers, and primary funders; they apply SALOME internally to power-plant equipment, alternative-energy, and nuclear-reactor simulations. Some prerequisite commercial meshers (MeshGems from Distene) require separate third-party licenses, but revenue accrues to Distene rather than to the SALOME project.

Name

SALOME

Legal name

SALOME Platform (EDF-CEA Collaboration)

Website

https://salome-platform.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Short description

SALOME is an open-source numerical simulation platform co-developed by EDF and CEA since 2007, providing integrated CAD, meshing, visualization, and multiphysics solver coupling for nuclear and energy engineering simulation. Distributed under LGPL v2.1.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Salome

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations

Revenue model

1. Open Source Distribution: SALOME is freely available under GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL) version 2.1. No commercial revenue is generated. The platform is maintained and developed by EDF and CEA as part of their research infrastructure for nuclear and alternative energy simulations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

SALOME is an open-source numerical simulation platform providing pre-processing (CAD modeling with SHAPER, mesh generation with SMESH), scientific visualization (PARAVIS), workflow supervision and code coupling (YACS), data assimilation (ADAO), uncertainty quantification (OpenTURNS, Uranie), field manipulation (MEDCoupling/FIELDS), and PDE solving (SolverLab). The platform integrates domain-specific solver applications for multiphysics simulations in nuclear, energy, hydraulic, and industrial engineering sectors, distributed freely under LGPL v2.1.

Product overview

SALOME is an open-source numerical simulation platform co-developed by EDF and CEA since 2007 (with OpenCASCADE support). It is organized as a platform-plus-modules architecture providing CAD modeling (SHAPER), mesh generation and adaptation (SMESH, HOMARD), scientific visualization (PARAVIS), workflow and code coupling supervision (YACS, JOBMANAGER), data assimilation (ADAO), uncertainty quantification and optimization (OpenTURNS, Uranie), field and mesh manipulation (FIELDS/MEDCoupling), and numerical PDE solving (SolverLab). The platform integrates multiple domain-specific solver applications: salome_meca (code_aster for thermomechanics), salome_cfd (code_saturne and Neptune_CFD for computational fluid dynamics), salome hydro (TELEMAC-MASCARET for free surface hydraulics), and TRUST (CEA's thermal-hydraulic CFD solver). MEDCoupling is also distributed as a standalone library independent of the full platform. SALOME operates on Linux and Windows, supports Python 3 scripting throughout, uses CORBA for distributed architecture (with session-less mode from 9.9), and is licensed under LGPL v2.1.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• salome_meca: Integration of code_aster thermomechanics solver into SALOME for structural and thermomechanical analyses.
• salome_cfd
• salome hydro
• TRUST

Products and services

• SALOME Platform The open-source numerical simulation platform providing pre-processing (CAD modeling, mesh generation), scientific visualization, workflow supervision, data assimilation, uncertainty quantification, and solver integration for multi-physics simulations across nuclear, energy, and engineering sectors. Distributed freely under LGPL v2.1.
• SHAPER A parametric and variational CAD modeler with a graphical interface tailored to technical drawing. Supports interactive dimensioning and constraints, automatic update of parametric forms, simple 3D part assemblies, non-manifold geometries, and Python scripting via TUI.
• SMESH A mesh generation and editing module providing algorithms for finite element and finite volume methods. Includes built-in algorithms (quadrangles, hexahedra), open-source meshers (NETGEN, GMSH), commercial MeshGems plugins, mesh quality controls, and Python scripting for full reproducibility.
• PARAVIS A scientific visualization module built on ParaView and VTK. Offers surface, volume, and Gauss point visualizations, filters for cuts, thresholds, iso-surfaces, streamlines, and elevation plots, quantitative analysis tools, time-based animations, and client/server mode for distributed-memory parallelism.
• YACS A workflow supervisor and code coupling module enabling the creation of simulation workflows as graphs of connected SALOME components. Supports solver integration, parametric studies, and execution across PCs, distributed workstations, or HPC resources.
• ADAO A data assimilation and optimization assistance module providing a simple interface to classical data assimilation and optimization algorithms. Supports transparent integration with SALOME simulation, remote computation, parallelism, calculation supervision, and pre/post-processing links.
• OpenTURNS An open-source uncertainty quantification library providing tools for data analysis, probabilistic modeling, uncertainty propagation via analytical or Monte Carlo methods, FORM/SORM reliability analysis, sensitivity analysis with Sobol indices, Bayesian and least-squares calibration, and metamodeling. Accessible via Python API, C++ library, or PERSALYS GUI.
• Uranie A CEA uncertainty quantification platform built on ROOT/CERN. Provides design-of-experiments generation, surrogate model construction, sensitivity analysis, uncertainty visualization, parametric optimization, and Bayesian calibration with MCMC. Supports deployment on HPC clusters (SLURM, SGE), GPU acceleration, and interfaces via C++, Python, and XML.
• SolverLab A C++/Python geometric and numerical library for discretizing partial differential equations on general geometries and meshes. Provides MATLAB-style functions for mesh and field generation, matrix manipulation, and linear solvers (backed by PETSc). Targets students and researchers for teaching and promoting numerical methods on unstructured meshes.
• HOMARD A mesh adaptation module that performs local mesh refinement and de-refinement based on numerical error estimates from simulation codes. Ensures an efficient balance between mesh fineness and computational cost.
• FIELDS A fields manipulation module providing the MEDCoupling library (C++ with Python medcoupling API) for processing meshes and numerical fields. Supports data movement, analysis, conversion, and optimization functions for simulation codes.
• salome_meca An application integrating the code_aster thermomechanical solver into the SALOME platform. Provides a full suite of nonlinear multi-physics analysis methods including seismic analysis, porous media studies, acoustics, fatigue, and stochastic dynamics.
• salome_cfd An application integrating the code_saturne and Neptune_CFD solvers for computational fluid dynamics into SALOME. code_saturne handles monophasic CFD; Neptune_CFD addresses multiphase flow modeling.
• salome hydro An application for free surface hydraulics studies using the TELEMAC-MASCARET system within SALOME. Supports import of raw and georeferenced data from QGIS, bathymetric profiles, digital terrain models, LIDAR interpolation, Corine Land Cover friction zones, geometric area definition, mesh construction over hundreds of km2, hydrodynamic computation with TELEMAC, and post-processing with PARAVIS.
• TRUST An open-source HPC thermal-hydraulic CFD platform developed at CEA for single-phase incompressible Navier-Stokes equations with growing multi-phase compressible flow capabilities. Used for nuclear and new energy specialized applications, with scalability demonstrated on over 2 billion elements across 50,000 processors.
• MEDCoupling A standalone C++/Python library distributed with SALOME for processing meshes and numerical fields. Provides data movement, analysis, conversion, and optimization functions for simulation codes. Available as a separate standalone package in versions aligned with SALOME releases and also distributed independently from the full SALOME platform.

Quantifiable outcome

• Supports simulations with 2+ billion elements on 50,000 processors (TRUST module)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature9 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• EDF R&DcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2000EDF R&D is one of the two main co-developers and long-term supporters of the SALOME platform since its inception in 2000. EDF uses SALOME extensively for simulations related to nuclear power plant equipment and alternative energy. EDF contributes development resources, maintains the platform, and hosts User Day events at EDF Lab Paris-Saclay.
• CEA (Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2000CEA is one of the two main co-developers and long-term supporters of the SALOME platform since its inception in 2000. CEA contributes development resources, maintains the platform, and uses SALOME for nuclear research simulations. CEA also developed the TRUST thermal hydraulics solver integrated into SALOME.
• OpenCASCADEcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2000OpenCASCADE (originally part of EADS MATRA DATAVISION) initiated the SALOME project in September 2000. The company provides the Open CASCADE Technology CAD/CAM/CAE kernel that powers SALOME's CAD modeling capabilities. OpenCASCADE continues to support the project and provides commercial services around the platform.
• KitwaresupportingTechnology or IntegrationKitware partners with OpenCASCADE and SALOME to deliver training courses on the SALOME platform. Kitware contributes to the ParaView visualization technology integrated in SALOME through the PARAVIS module.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• ANSYS: Largest commercial multiphysics simulation platform (structural, CFD, thermal, electromagnetics). Comparable in serving nuclear, energy, and industrial simulation customers, but operates as a proprietary commercial suite rather than open source.
• Altair: Commercial simulation and HPC portfolio (HyperWorks, OptiStruct, AcuSolve) overlapping with SALOME in structural mechanics, CFD, and HPC-oriented workflows for industrial and energy customers.
• Dassault Systèmes SIMULIA: Commercial FEA/multiphysics suite (Abaqus, CST, PowerFLOW) with strong adoption in automotive, aerospace, and energy. Overlaps with SALOME in structural mechanics (analogous to code_aster integration) and pre/post-processing.
• Siemens Simcenter: Broad industrial simulation suite (FEA, CFD, electronics cooling) from Siemens, overlapping with SALOME in structural mechanics, CFD, and pre/post-processing for energy and industrial customers.

Others

• Kitware: Developer of ParaView/VTK (visualization backbone of SALOME's PARAVIS module) and co-deliverer of SALOME training with OpenCASCADE. An enabling technology partner rather than direct competitor.
• OpenCASCADE: Provider of the Open CASCADE Technology CAD/CAM/CAE kernel that powers SALOME's SHAPER module. A strategic partner and technology contributor rather than direct competitor; also delivers commercial SALOME training.

Emerging players

• FreeCAD: Open-source parametric CAD modeler comparable to SALOME's SHAPER module. Comparable as a free alternative for parametric CAD in open-source simulation pipelines, though without SHAPER's simulation-specific group creation.
• Gmsh: Open-source three-dimensional finite element mesh generator integrated into SALOME's SMESH module. Comparable as an open-source meshing tool, also used standalone for pre-processing in simulation workflows.

Direct peers

• OpenFOAM: Open-source CFD platform widely used in academic and industrial simulation. Comparable as an open-source alternative to SALOME's CFD capabilities (code_saturne, Neptune_CFD, TRUST), particularly for users not needing SALOME's broader multiphysics stack.
• COMSOL: Commercial multiphysics simulation platform widely used in nuclear, energy, and academic research. Direct overlap with SALOME's multiphysics coupling, CAD import, meshing, and solver-agnostic workflows.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• GitHubgithub.com/SalomePlatform

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 SALOME