Wonderful article Christopher. AI is just a prediction tool. It will replace some battery scientists who do predictive lab experiments but humans will always be needed to make judgements.
When CEO of SES reports that he needs positive and negative battery data for his AI agent, he means it. They are the only non Chinese battery company that advertises its testing bunker online.
I would love to see an article on Lithium Metal Anode batteries. They require vapor deposition technology to coat Lithium less than a hair’s thickness on copper foil. An interesting company doing this is Elevated Matériels which is offspring of parent company Applied Materials.
Glad you enjoyed the article. I believe humans won't be replaced, but skills will shift. We still need humans. Lithium metal is on my radar for a future article/content.
Interesting that SES is using an AI focused version of vertical R&D.
Related: I think the best application for these newer generations of batteries are drones, cellphones, and other shorter lived consumer devices. A car is such a large purchase, by comparison, that customer conservativism on technology is necessary. I don't want to spend $50k on a car only to have it brick 2-3 years later due to some issue on the learning curve of a new chemistry. It is better to accept 10% lower performance on a car in exchange for known durability. I'll take a risk on my phone or drone!
That's the main advantage of SES: producing cells and electrolytes to feed their AI models for training, while others focus more on software-only or producer-only solutions.
Regarding the best application: that's why newer generations, like silicon anodes, start testing on smaller applications. There are "less risky,". The tests start on very small cells (coin cells) and then increase in size. Electric vehicles always come last.
SES AI's approach to battery R&D and manufacturing is a taste of the future of the industry, but how is one supposed to be inspired to work in this space if the CEO himself envisions a 'human-free' company?
A truly automated, agentic facility may take decades, depending on the development of humanoid robots. In the meantime, being so adamant about a human-free future may be harmful to SES AI's growth. AI-enhanced human research will be the bridge for the coming years, and therefore, cannot yet be undermined.
Even if AI takes over some tasks in daily life and at work, humans will still be essential. The best results come from combining both. AI can support, but people are better at making decisions.
Wonderful article Christopher. AI is just a prediction tool. It will replace some battery scientists who do predictive lab experiments but humans will always be needed to make judgements.
When CEO of SES reports that he needs positive and negative battery data for his AI agent, he means it. They are the only non Chinese battery company that advertises its testing bunker online.
I would love to see an article on Lithium Metal Anode batteries. They require vapor deposition technology to coat Lithium less than a hair’s thickness on copper foil. An interesting company doing this is Elevated Matériels which is offspring of parent company Applied Materials.
Glad you enjoyed the article. I believe humans won't be replaced, but skills will shift. We still need humans. Lithium metal is on my radar for a future article/content.
Interesting that SES is using an AI focused version of vertical R&D.
Related: I think the best application for these newer generations of batteries are drones, cellphones, and other shorter lived consumer devices. A car is such a large purchase, by comparison, that customer conservativism on technology is necessary. I don't want to spend $50k on a car only to have it brick 2-3 years later due to some issue on the learning curve of a new chemistry. It is better to accept 10% lower performance on a car in exchange for known durability. I'll take a risk on my phone or drone!
That's the main advantage of SES: producing cells and electrolytes to feed their AI models for training, while others focus more on software-only or producer-only solutions.
Regarding the best application: that's why newer generations, like silicon anodes, start testing on smaller applications. There are "less risky,". The tests start on very small cells (coin cells) and then increase in size. Electric vehicles always come last.
SES AI's approach to battery R&D and manufacturing is a taste of the future of the industry, but how is one supposed to be inspired to work in this space if the CEO himself envisions a 'human-free' company?
A truly automated, agentic facility may take decades, depending on the development of humanoid robots. In the meantime, being so adamant about a human-free future may be harmful to SES AI's growth. AI-enhanced human research will be the bridge for the coming years, and therefore, cannot yet be undermined.
Even if AI takes over some tasks in daily life and at work, humans will still be essential. The best results come from combining both. AI can support, but people are better at making decisions.