A completely new substance, which could reduce the use of lithium in batteries, has been discovered using artificial intelligence and supercomputers.
The discovery was made by the company Microsoft and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), which works under the auspices of the US Department of Health.
Scientists say that the substance could reduce the use of lithium by as much as 70 percent.
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The new substance is currently being used to power the light bulb.
In less than a week, Microsoft researchers, with the help of artificial intelligence and supercomputers, found 18 out of 32 million inorganic substances.
This kind of research would take more than two decades if traditional laboratory methods were used,
In addition, artificial intelligence and a supercomputer developed a working battery prototype in less than nine months.
Jason Zander, Microsoft's executive vice president, told the BBC that one of the tech giant's missions is to "condense 250 years of scientific discovery into the next 25".
"We think this kind of technology will help us achieve that - it's a new kind of science for the future," says Zander.
The problem of using lithium
Lithium is often called "white gold" because of its market value and silvery color.
It is one of the key components of rechargeable, or lithium-ion, batteries that power everything from electric vehicles to smartphones.
As demand for the metal increases and demand for electric vehicles grows, the world could face a lithium shortage as early as 2025, according to data from the International Energy Agency.
Demand for lithium-ion batteries is also expected to increase tenfold by 2030, so new production facilities are constantly being built in America.
Mining of lithium stirs up controversy, because it can have a significant impact on the environment.
It requires large amounts of water and energy, and mining can significantly change the environment, and toxic waste is also created.
Dr. Nuria Tapia-Ruiz, who leads a team of researchers at Imperial College London's Department of Chemistry, says substances that contribute to lower lithium consumption are the "holy grail" of the lithium-ion battery industry.
"Artificial intelligence and supercomputers will be of essential importance for the development of batteries," he says.
But using this technology also requires "caution," says Dr. Edward Brightman, professor of chemical engineering at the University of Strathclyde.
"They can show false results, or results that initially seem promising, and then it turns out that either the material is known to be learned, or that it cannot be synthesized in the laboratory," he points out.
The recently found substance has been named N2116 and it is an electrolyte in a solid state.
Solid lithium batteries would have faster charging and more operating hours.
How is this artificial intelligence different?
Artificial intelligence, developed by Microsoft, was trained on data about chemical molecules.
"It uses scientific databases, which are very reliable," Zander points out.
After the software shortlisted 18 substances, battery experts at PNNL selected one, which they tested in the lab.
Carl Miller from PNNL says that they tested the chemical composition of the new material and its persistence, and that artificial intelligence significantly shortened the duration of the entire process.
"Advanced artificial intelligence will accelerate the innovation cycle," Miller said.
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