Overview

• Microsoft, in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), has developed a new battery technology that replaces 70% of the lithium in traditional batteries with sodium, addressing issues such as limited life on a charge, shrinking capacity over time, subpar performance in extreme temperatures, and risk of catching fire or exploding.
• The new battery technology was developed using Microsoft's Azure Quantum Elements platform, which uses AI and high-performance computing (HPC) resources to accelerate scientific discovery.
• Microsoft's AI screened over 32 million potential materials to identify the lithium-sodium material as worthy of lab synthesis and testing. The process of identifying and testing the new material took about a year.
• The new material could potentially benefit various aspects of modern life that depend on batteries, from smartphones to electric vehicles to the power grid.
• Microsoft views this achievement as a proof of concept for the Azure Quantum Elements platform, which is currently being tested by organizations such as Britain’s Johnson Matthey for designing catalytic converters and hydrogen fuel cells.