Digital twins of cities to expand under plans from new Dutch startup Scenexus

A startup called Scenexus has unveiled plans to build digital twins of cities around the world.

A spin-off from Dutch research organisation TNO, Scenexus launched this week with a new platform for urban planning.

The software blends multiple datasets to clone entire cities and regions.

Planners and engineers then use the replicas to precisely analyse the impacts of their ideas.

According to Scenexus, the platform can accelerate their assessments from days to just minutes. They can then forecast the social, environmental, and economic impacts of developments.

A host of factors can be reviewed, from traffic and safety to financial growth and resident sentiment. The concepts can then be fine-tuned to address pressing challenges, such as the housing crisis and congestion.

The platform has already attracted clients in Amsterdam, San Diego, and Singapore. More cities are slated to sign up soon.

Scenexus has also revealed a new backer for the project. The Hague-based business has raised €1.6mn from the LUMO Rise Fund, a €100mn pot of capital for impact-driven technologies. Scenexus is the first investment from the fund, which is managed by Dutch VC firm LUMO Labs.

Andy Lürling, a founding partner at LUMO Labs and a TNW Advisory Board member, has great expectations for the startup.

“The range of application domains is nearly unlimited,” Lürling told TNW.

He highlighted 10 particularly promising targets: smart mobility, air quality, noise, climate, spatial development, equity, well-being, liveability, resilience, and energy.

To support these applications, Scenexus will supply its digital twin platform as a software-as-a-service solution.

Building digital twins

Under the system’s hood, thousands of calculations are processed in parallel by algorithms running on graphical processing units (GPUs).

Scenexus said the results arrive up to 1,000 times faster than the leading planning software on the market. Thanks to this speed, clients can rapidly develop new urban planning concepts.

Scenexus will now focus on bringing more cities to its platform. The startup has also joined digital cities projects with Microsoft and a European consortium.

Lürling is bullish about the company’s plans.

“With Scenexus, cities directly save time, money, and effort, and uncover unforeseen challenges before they arise,” he said.

“At the same time, it enables lasting improvement of the city’s liveability and safety, and the well-being of residents and visitors.”