How Vivid Adapt partnered with clean-technology pioneer GT Wings to secure invaluable intellectual property, implement robust High-Performance Computing, and deliver a modern,
fully managed IT workplace.
Founded by engineering visionary George Thompson, GT Wings operates at the bleeding edge of maritime decarbonisation. With the commercial shipping industry under strict regulatory mandates to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, GT Wings has developed a highly advanced wind propulsion system known as the AirWing™.
This technology adapts complex boundary layer airflow control mechanisms – principles originally refined in aerospace, Formula 1, and the America’s Cup – to generate exceptional forward thrust from a compact, rigid wingsail.
Designed to be retrofitted onto existing commercial vessels or integrated into new builds, the AirWing™ empowers shipowners to reduce their fuel consumption and carbon emissions by up
to 30%.
Backed by over £6 million in public and private funding, and preparing for global commercial installations on massive cargo vessels, GT Wings operates in a high-stakes, fast-paced engineering environment. In such a setting, the reliability, security, and performance of their underlying technological infrastructure are intrinsically linked to their commercial success.

Engineering Excellence Powered by Pragmatic IT Optimisation
Summary
- Cost Efficiency: Migrated complex simulation workloads away from public hyperscalers, achieving a 26% reduction in total monthly IT expenditure.
- Accelerated Development: Deployed a bespoke High-Performance Compute (HPC)
environment that increased the processing speed of CFD simulations by 16%. - Fortified Security: Engineered a robust, Zero Trust security perimeter, empowering
remote engineering teams without compromising intellectual property, and ensuring
readiness for ISO27001 and Cyber Essentials Plus certifications. Cyber Essentials already achieved. - Unrivalled Support: Provided a fully managed service desk capable of resolving critical issues during and out-of-hours, allowing GT Wings to focus entirely on maritime innovation.
The Challenge
For an engineering firm operating at the forefront of naval architecture, proprietary blueprints and fluid dynamics schematics represent the company’s entire commercial valuation. The protection of this Intellectual Property (IP) is paramount. GT Wings required a highly secure, frictionless ecosystem where their global workforce could collaborate remotely without jeopardising sensitive data.
Simultaneously, perfecting the aerodynamic efficiency of the AirWing™ requires vast,
computationally intensive simulations. GT Wings initially relied on Google Cloud for these HighPerformance Compute requirements. However, as their simulation demands scaled, they encountered a common hyperscaler dilemma: unpredictable, escalating monthly expenditures that strained pragmatic IT budgets, coupled with compute performance that failed to align with their aggressive commercial development timelines.
The Solution
Vivid Adapt initiated the partnership with a comprehensive, fully funded onboarding
programme, seamlessly assuming total ownership of GT Wings’ IT infrastructure. To address the computational bottlenecks, Vivid Adapt executed a strategic “cloud repatriation,” migrating GT Wings away from Google Cloud and into a bespoke private datacentre. This transition provided highly tailored, cost-effective High-Performance Computing that easily outperformed hyperscaler equivalents in price, performance, and budgetary predictability.
To safeguard IP, Vivid Adapt architected a comprehensive “Zero Trust” modern workplace. This involved the secure, intricate deployment of Microsoft Intune for mobile device management, Entra ID for robust identity verification, and Microsoft Purview for strict data governance. This perimeter was further reinforced by endpoint detection via Sophos and advanced email security through Mimecast. Crucially, Vivid Adapt enveloped this technology with a proactive, fully managed support service, ensuring end-user issues are resolved rapidly.





