In a groundbreaking collaboration, Microsoft has partnered with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) to revolutionize the discovery of new battery materials. While the name “Azure Quantum Elements” may suggest the use of quantum computers, this project primarily utilizes the fusion of artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing (HPC) techniques.
Led by Krysta Svore, Microsoft Quantum’s team aimed to explore the capabilities of Azure Quantum Elements (AQE) and its AI accelerator to advance materials discovery. Through this collaboration, PNNL researchers examined a staggering 32 million inorganic materials, ultimately identifying 18 promising candidates for their battery project. This process would typically require several years, but with the aid of AQE, they achieved it in just 18 months.
AQE’s AI models played a crucial role in initially narrowing down the pool of materials to approximately 500,000 candidates. From there, existing HPC techniques were employed to further filter out the most viable options. Microsoft and PNNL believe that the synergy of AI, cloud computing, HPC, and human expertise holds enormous potential for accelerating scientific discovery.
Tony Peurrung, PNNL Deputy Director for Science and Technology, remarked, “The intersection of AI, cloud and high-performance computing, along with human scientists, we believe is key to accelerating the path to meaningful scientific results.” This collaboration ensures that scientists have accessible AI tools to uncover unexpected and unconventional materials for investigation.
While quantum computing enthusiasts anticipate their machines’ triumph in solving chemistry and material science problems, the reality is that we are still a few years away from having a practical quantum computer. Microsoft acknowledges that although we currently find ourselves in the noisy intermediate-scale quantum (NISQ) era, they remain optimistic about building a quantum supercomputer within the next decade, utilizing their Majorana-based qubits.
Thus, while this collaboration represents a significant step towards innovative battery materials discovery, it is also an opportunity to raise awareness about the potential of quantum computing in scientific processes. Microsoft’s commitment to merging AI, cloud computing, and HPC paves the way for accelerated scientific advancements in numerous fields.