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SOUTHPOINTE, Pa., Aug 06, 2007 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX News Network/ -- ANSYS, Inc. (Nasdaq: ANSS), a global innovator of simulation software and technologies designed to optimize product development processes, today announced that the multinational organization ITER has adopted software from ANSYS to validate the design of its groundbreaking international fusion power plant development project. ITER aims to demonstrate the scientific and technical feasibility of fusion power. The partners in the project -- called the ITER Parties -- are the European Union, Japan, the People's Republic of China, the Republic of India, the Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation and the U.S.A. ITER will be constructed in Europe at Cadarache in the south of France.

Engineering simulation solutions from ANSYS will be used to accelerate research and development by optimizing key components of the experimental fusion reactor. Researchers will use the broad and linked simulation capabilities within the ANSYS Workbench platform to conduct dynamic analyses, nonlinear thermal analysis, electro-magnetic analyses, coupled field analyses and nonlinear structural analyses of the facility. Construction and commissioning of the project is expected to take about eight years, once a construction license is granted in early 2009.

"Our experience has shown that ANSYS software gives engineers the opportunity to analyze all kinds of engineering problems in an efficient and flexible manner. The analyses performed to date have provided invaluable information about the mechanical behavior of the ITER components, such as the magnet system, vacuum vessel, divertor and other components," said Cornelis Jong, mechanical engineer in the magnet division at ITER. "These tools will contribute to ITER's success, leading to large-scale nuclear power without a long-term nuclear waste stream -- which would be a monumental environmental and economic achievement in the 21st century."

The ITER fusion reactor is based on the tokamak concept, in which low-temperature superconducting coils are positioned around a toroidal vessel. These coils produce magnetic forces that confine hot plasma long enough to generate 10 times more power through fusion than required to keep it hot.

ITER intends to demonstrate that fusion could be used to generate electrical power; the aim of the project is to gain the necessary data to design and operate the first electricity-producing fusion plant.

"We at ANSYS are excited to be providing single-platform multiphysics CAE solutions to the ITER organization, and to be taking part in the quest for a clean and abundant energy source for the future," said Chris Reid, vice president, marketing at ANSYS, Inc.

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About ITER

ITER will be the world's largest experimental facility to demonstrate the scientific and technical feasibility of fusion power. It will be sited at Cadarache in the south of France. The construction costs of ITER are estimated at 5 billion Euros over ten years, most of which will be awarded in the form of contracts to industrial companies and fusion research institutions. Europe will contribute up to half of the costs of construction, while the other six Parties to this joint international venture will contribute up to 10% each to the rest.

Fusion is the process that powers the sun and the stars. When light atomic nuclei fuse to form heavier ones, a large amount of energy is released. Fusion research is aimed at developing a prototype fusion power plant that is safe and reliable, environmentally responsible, and economically viable, with abundant and widespread fuel resources. Visit http://www.iter.org for more information.

About ANSYS, Inc.

ANSYS, Inc., founded in 1970, develops and globally markets engineering simulation software and technologies widely used by engineers and designers across a broad spectrum of industries. The Company focuses on the development of open and flexible solutions that enable users to analyze designs directly on the desktop, providing a common platform for fast, efficient and cost-conscious product development, from design concept to final-stage testing and validation. The Company and its global network of channel partners provide sales, support and training for customers. Headquartered in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, U.S.A., with more than 40 strategic sales locations throughout the world, ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries employ approximately 1,400 people and distribute ANSYS products through a network of channel partners in over 40 countries. Visit http://www.ansys.com for more information.

ANSYS, ANSYS Workbench, AUTODYN, CFX, FLUENT and any and all ANSYS, Inc. brand, product, service and feature names, logos and slogans are registered trademarks or trademarks of ANSYS, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States or other countries. All other brand, product, service and feature names or trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

SOURCE ANSYS, Inc.

Media: Kelly Wall, +1-724-514-3076, kelly.wall@ansys.com, or Investors: Lisa O'Connor, +1-724-514-1782, lisa.oconnor@ansys.com, both of ANSYS, Inc.