What cloudfluid does

cloudfluid was a German private company that developed computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software built around a GPU-native solver technology. The product's core technical advance was the ability to accurately predict fluid flow without requiring users to create complex conformal meshes — a step that traditionally dominates CFD engineering time and compute cost. cloudfluid's stated value proposition centered on near real-time simulation that could be embedded directly into iterative design workflows, eliminating the long solve-and-mesh cycle that makes conventional CFD impractical for rapid design exploration.

The company's go-to-market focused narrowly on engineering teams in aerospace, defense, and turbomachinery, with use cases spanning aerodynamics optimization, propulsion systems, and thermal management. Its single product was cloudfluid CFD Software. Pricing was not publicly disclosed. Prior to acquisition, cloudfluid operated as an independent private company in Germany; no funding rounds, headcount figures, or named customers appear in the available source material.

On February 19, 2025, cloudfluid was acquired by nTop (formerly nTopology), a New York-based computational design software company founded in 2015 and used by engineering teams at more than 400 companies worldwide. The acquisition integrated cloudfluid's high-speed CFD into nTop's implicit geometry kernel, positioning the combined offering across aerospace, defense, and turbomachinery while also generating curated simulation data for ML training, digital twins, and design optimization. Following the transaction, cloudfluid no longer operates as an independent entity.

Name

cloudfluid

Legal name

cloudfluid

Website

https://cloudfluid.de/

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

cloudfluid was a German CFD software company whose GPU-native solver enabled meshless fluid flow simulation for aerospace, defense, and turbomachinery engineering teams. It was acquired by nTop in February 2025 to integrate high-speed CFD into computational design workflows.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Karlsruhe

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

cloudfluid developed and sold computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software built on a proprietary GPU-native solver that accurately predicts fluid flow without requiring complex conformal meshes. The product enabled engineering teams in aerospace, defense, and turbomachinery to perform near real-time fluid dynamics simulation as part of iterative design workflows. Following the February 2025 acquisition, the technology is distributed as an integrated capability within nTop's computational design platform.

Product overview

cloudfluid was a single-product company offering computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software. Their core product was a GPU-native solver that enabled accurate fluid flow prediction without the traditional complexity of conformal mesh creation. The software was designed to integrate directly with computational design platforms, allowing engineers to incorporate CFD into iterative design workflows. Following its acquisition by nTop in February 2025, cloudfluid's technology is being integrated into nTop's computational design platform to advance design-to-manufacturing workflows.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• cloudfluid CFD Software Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software featuring GPU-native solver technology that accurately predicts fluid flow without requiring complex conformal meshes, enabling near real-time iterative design simulation for engineering teams in aerospace, defense, and turbomachinery.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• nTopcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 February 2025cloudfluid was acquired by nTop (formerly nTopology) on February 19, 2025. The acquisition integrates cloudfluid's GPU-native CFD solver technology into nTop's computational design platform, enabling near real-time fluid dynamics simulation within iterative design workflows. This strategic acquisition strengthens nTop's capabilities in computational fluid dynamics for aerospace, defense, and turbomachinery applications.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Siemens Digital Industries Software: Siemens' Star-CCM+ is a leading CFD platform used heavily in aerospace, automotive, and turbomachinery. Comparable as a broad incumbent offering CFD as part of a wider simulation/PLM portfolio competing for the same engineering seats.
• Ansys: Ansys is the dominant commercial CFD and multiphysics simulation vendor (Fluent, CFX) serving aerospace, defense, and turbomachinery. It is the benchmark incumbent that cloudfluid's GPU-native, meshless approach must displace or differentiate against in enterprise engineering workflows.
• Altair Engineering: Altair offers CFD and simulation tools (acquired through HyperWorks, FluiDyna) targeting aerospace and industrial customers. Comparable as a broad engineering simulation incumbent with overlapping CFD and design-automation capabilities.
• Cadence Design Systems: Cadence expanded into CFD and computational multiphysics through acquisitions (Numeca, Pointwise, Cascade). It is a broad incumbent now competing in the same engineering simulation category cloudfluid targets.
• Autodesk (Fusion 360 Simulation): Autodesk embeds CFD-style fluid simulation capabilities inside Fusion 360, targeting mainstream product engineering teams. Comparable as a broad incumbent with lighter-weight fluid simulation competing for the same design-iteration use cases.
• Dassault Systèmes: Dassault's SIMULIA (including XFlow) offers CFD and multiphysics simulation tightly integrated with its 3DEXPERIENCE platform. Comparable as a broad incumbent with overlapping CFD capability and design-platform integration similar to nTop+cloudfluid.

Emerging players

• Rescale: Rescale provides a cloud HPC platform for running engineering simulations including CFD. Comparable as an enabling/emerging player in GPU-accelerated, cloud-based simulation workflows adjacent to cloudfluid's GPU-native approach.
• SimScale: SimScale delivers cloud-native CFD and FEA simulation on a SaaS platform targeting engineering teams. Comparable as an emerging cloud-based CFD vendor exploring similar real-time, GPU-accelerated design iteration use cases.
• OpenFOAM: OpenFOAM is a widely adopted open-source CFD toolkit used in research and industry. Comparable as an emerging/niche alternative in CFD, particularly where cost-conscious or research-oriented engineering teams build custom GPU-accelerated solvers similar in spirit to cloudfluid's approach.

Direct peers

• COMSOL: COMSOL provides multiphysics simulation software widely used in engineering R&D, including fluid flow and CFD-coupled analyses. Comparable as a directly competing packaged simulation software vendor serving similar engineering teams.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cloudfluid

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 cloudfluid