Rolls-Royce has invested S$88 million ($64.7 million) to extend its research partnership with a Singapore university, with a focus on 29 projects related to the future of aircraft propulsion.

The company says that the five-year-old project, dubbed Rolls-Royce@NTU Corp Lab, has already managed 53 research projects. Areas of work included electronics, data analytics, and manufacturing technology.

“The research outcomes from these projects are now being used to help design and develop future power and propulsion systems and improve manufacturing operations in Singapore and in other global sites of Rolls-Royce,” says the engine maker.

One outcome from the first five years of the lab was a “virtual engine emulator that uses [artificial intelligence] to analyse decades of engine design data to harvest new insights.”

The 29 new projects will focus on five key areas: electrical, manufacturing, advanced repair and materials, data analytics, and the “Internet-of-Things.”

Source: FlightGlobal.com