This startup employs AI to uncover novel materials

Orbital Materials, led by former DeepMind senior researcher Jonathan Godwin, is pioneering GenAI technology for the manufacturing of new physical materials. The startup is developing an AI-powered platform capable of discovering various materials, including batteries and carbon dioxide-capturing cells.

Godwin drew inspiration from AI systems like AlphaFold, developed by DeepMind, which can predict a protein’s 3D structure from its amino acid sequence. He recognized that similar techniques could be applied to the materials sciences field to revolutionize the process of material discovery.

Traditionally, discovering new materials has relied on laborious trial-and-error processes in the laboratory, often taking years of experimentation to achieve success. Godwin believed that a new type of organization, combining expertise in AI and materials science, was necessary to bridge the gap between computer simulations and real-world applications.

Creating a new material is a complex and non-intuitive process. It involves identifying the desired physical and chemical properties, understanding the corresponding structures, and determining the manufacturing processes required to create those structures reliably. Once developed, the material must undergo rigorous testing under various conditions to ensure its suitability for different applications, such as extreme temperatures or environmental stresses.

While AI cannot solve all the challenges inherent in materials design, it can significantly accelerate the process by leveraging computations to map out potential properties and processes that may lead to the development of new materials. This approach saves time and money by providing valuable insights into which combinations of properties and manufacturing techniques are most promising.

Jonathan Godwin, founder of Orbital Materials, emphasized that traditional methods of discovering new materials are often too slow and expensive to meet the growing demand for advanced materials. As economies transition toward electrification and decarbonization, the need for innovative materials is increasing rapidly.

Orbital Materials is not the only company leveraging AI for materials research and development. Osmium AI, founded by a former Google employee and backed by Y Combinator, offers industrial customers the ability to predict the physical properties of new materials using AI. Additionally, academic research has explored various methods for accelerating material design workflows through AI, often utilizing vast databases of molecules. Even DeepMind, known for its advancements in AI, has delved into AI-driven materials research, developing algorithms capable of discovering millions of crystals with potential applications in commercial technologies.