Generative AI Set To Have An Electrifying Impact On EV Innovation?

Zero in on the number ten billion. That's the current number of diverse molecules that can be purchased commercially. The number jumps to 10 to the 47th power if you begin considering them in fives, the usual combination used to create electrolyte materials in batteries. That's a lot if you're keeping score at home!

In the realm of developing batteries, each of those permutations is crucial as the optimized electrolyte combination can lead to EV batteries that can be charged more quickly and store more energy. The bad news? Finding the most optimized combination of materials can be time-consuming and fraught with failure as the total variations are incomprehensibly large. (Remember 10 to the 47^th power?)
However, Aionics claims that their AI tools can help in that regard.

“The problem is there’s too many candidates and not enough time,” Aionics co-founder and CEO Austin Sendek said.

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What Happens When EV Battery Development Meets Generative AI?

There are three main parts to a lithium-ion battery: the electrolyte and the two electrodes AKA the anodes and cathodes respectively. During charging and discharging, the intermediate electrolyte carries ions between the electrodes. So, how is AI helping find the most ideal electrolyte?

Aionics uses AI quantum mechanics, allowing researchers in aionics to test out their theories on literally billions of molecules. According to Sendek, this allows them to evaluate 10,000 potential candidates in one second. The next molecular candidate is chosen using a simulation model trained by artificial intelligence. With each iteration, more information is produced and the ability to solve issues is enhanced.

Aionics’ use of an AI framework to advance battery and electrolyte research, aptly called “aionics,” has also attracted funding for its unique approach. Moreover, Form Energy, Showa Denko (previously Resonac), Cellforce (Porsche's battery business) and Cuberg are few of the companies that collaborate with the Aionics.

What’s The Next Step For Generative AI?

Generative AI has been incorporated into Aionics in numerous contexts. Aionics has started using generative AI models based on data from battery materials to create or build unique molecules for targeted uses. Previously, the company relied on databases containing billions of existing molecules.

The startup is getting a boost from software developed at Carnegie Mellon University for accelerating the discovery of electrochemical systems. Venkat Viswanathan, a former CMU associate professor and the program's current director, co-founded Aionics and serves as the company's lead scientist.

Large language models built on OpenAI's GPT-4 are also being used by Aionics researchers to filter down the millions of formulations before they are put through the database. The chatbot, which was taught using a selection of chemical textbooks and scientific periodicals made by Aionics, isn't used for discovery but can help scientists weed out chemicals of no use, according to Sendek.

Once trained on chemical textbooks, LLMs allow the scientist to query the model. Yet, Sendek was quick to note that this isn’t doing anything different than a person curating scientific papers. “This is just providing some next-level interaction,” he said, adding that everything is verifiable by pointing back to the sources used to train the chatbot.

“I think what is good for our field is that we’re not looking for specific facts, we’re looking for design principles,” Sendek said as he explained the chatbot feature.

What’s The End Result?

Aionics has distributed samples to its customers for validation after a generative AI model has been used to reduce down billions of choices to a select few.

“If we don’t get on the first round, we iterate and we can run some clinical trials to prove it until we get to the winner,” Sendek said. “And once we find the winner, we work with our manufacturing partners to scale that manufacturing and bring it to market.”

TechDogs-"Image Of Aionics Co-Founder And CEO Austin Sendek"

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As generative AI sneaks into EV battery development, will we witness an AI revolution in the electric vehicle industry?

Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!

First published on Tue, Oct 17, 2023

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