In a groundbreaking collaboration, Microsoft and the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) are leveraging the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to revolutionize the process of materials discovery. The partnership aims to address some of society’s pressing challenges, including sustainable energy solutions, by accelerating the innovation cycle and significantly reducing the time it takes to screen new materials.
The Azure Quantum Elements platform, developed by Microsoft, combines AI, cloud-powered high-performance computing (HPC), and quantum computing breakthroughs to facilitate scientific research and discovery. By applying advanced AI models and expertise from PNNL, the Azure Quantum team was able to identify a new material with the potential for resource-efficient batteries that require significantly less lithium than traditional lithium-ion batteries.
The collaboration is particularly significant because these new solid-state batteries not only provide enhanced safety and energy density but also have the potential to alleviate environmental and economic concerns. Lithium, a key component of many batteries, is scarce and costly to mine. By reducing lithium requirements by approximately 70%, these batteries could offer incredible environmental, safety, and economic benefits.
The Azure Quantum team leveraged AI to digitally screen over 32 million potential materials and identify over 500,000 stable candidates. However, finding the right material among these candidates with the desired properties for a specific task, such as a new solid-state battery electrolyte, is akin to searching for a needle in a haystack. The traditional method involves time-consuming high-performance computing calculations and costly lab experiments. However, through the collaboration with PNNL, AI and cloud-powered HPC accelerated the process from years to just days.
This partnership marks the beginning of a journey to transform scientific research and discovery using AI. Microsoft’s Azure Quantum Elements platform aims to place these breakthroughs in the hands of customers, empowering them to drive innovation and make significant strides in various fields, including chemistry and materials science.
The utilization of AI in materials discovery addresses the urgent need for sustainable energy sources and offers a promising solution to a wide range of societal challenges. By compressing centuries of innovation into decades, this AI-powered approach has the potential to unlock a new era of scientific discovery and change industries across the board.
The source of the article is from the blog klikeri.rs