Microsoft, in collaboration with the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, has utilized AI and the Azure Quantum Elements cloud platform to discover a novel material that could reduce global dependence on lithium in rechargeable batteries. The AI algorithms, trained using millions of data points, significantly expedited the research process, leading to the identification of a new electrolyte material that uses approximately 70 percent less lithium than existing li-ion batteries, substituting some lithium with sodium. This breakthrough has the potential to revolutionize battery technology and accelerate scientific discovery in the field of materials science.
Microsoft collaborates with PNNL to use Azure Quantum Elements, a combination of AI and traditional high-performance computing, to narrow down millions of potential new battery materials to a few promising candidates in just 18 months, a process that would typically take years. While no quantum computer was used in this project, the overall goal is to integrate AI, cloud, and high-performance computing to accelerate scientific discovery. Despite the current limitations of quantum computing, Microsoft remains optimistic about delivering a quantum supercomputer within the next decade.
Microsoft has announced Azure Quantum Elements, a new system that aims to accelerate chemical and materials science through the scale of Azure High Performance Computing (HPC) and the speed of AI. The system includes tools that will help scientists prepare for a future where a scaled quantum computer could accurately model the most complex molecules. Azure Quantum Elements delivers speed through proprietary software tailored to the needs of chemical and materials scientists and built on Microsoft’s investments in AI, HPC and future quantum technologies.
