Microsoft proposes a solution to the excessive and dangerous use of lithium

Microsoft Unveiled an invention that could change the battery industry. In collaboration with the US Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), the company uses artificial intelligence to develop new materials that promise to reduce Dependence on lithium in batteries.

This component is present in most current devices, although it is a limited resource that is currently only produced by countries such as Australia, Chile, China and Argentina. Additionally, its use in batteries is linked to environmental and safety concerns.

Global lithium demand is expected will double by 2028, Mainly driven by the growth of the electric mobility market, which poses challenges in terms of sustainability and availability.

In response to this problem, the company has developed a new battery material that is not only efficient and safe, but also significantly reduces the reliance on materials that are present in most batteries today.

The project resulted in a solid state electrolyte composed of lithium, sodium and other chemical elements, Reducing the lithium content in batteries to 70%.

Microsoft has leveraged its artificial intelligence technology, particularly with its Azure Quantum Elements product, to accelerate the discovery of these developments. Instead of relying on traditional methods that could take decades, AI algorithms digitally screened over 32 million potential materials in just 80 hours.

This approach identified more than 500,000 stable candidates, improving the way to select suitable components and perform tests.

Collaboration with PNNL has been key in this phase of the project. Working together with this laboratory allowed Microsoft to test not only known materials, but also completely new, previously unknown and not present in nature materials.

This material, in the form of a solid-state electrolyte, has proven capable of successfully powering prototype batteries, offering options to reduce reliance on lithium in the near future.

Vijay Murugesan, leader of research for PNNL, highlighted concerns about limited resources and geographic concentration of elements, including lithium. The extraction of this component is associated with environmental problems and its scarcity in the market poses challenges for the expansion of battery technology.

“One of the main axes of our work at PNNL is the identification of new materials for future energy storage needs; “Sustainable materials that conserve and protect the Earth’s finite resources,” Murugesan said in a statement published on the official Microsoft blog.

This achievement not only represents a technological advance to improve battery manufacturing conditions, but also demonstrates Potential of artificial intelligence in scientific discoveries.

On its official blog, Microsoft highlights the discovery as “the first real example” of what will be a series of achievements in this new era: the ability of AI to process large amounts of data and propose innovative solutions in a matter of hours. Instead of weeks or years.

Although the battery prototype has proven successful in powering light bulbs, the researchers are aware that they still have a lot of work to do.

Industrial-scale testing and continued evaluation of new solid-state electrolytes are critical before this technology becomes widely used, so it’s unclear when we might see this new component inside a device.