Microsoft’s latest AI tech can generate materials

Microsoft’s Research branch has pushed its artificial intelligence plans forward once again, with a new model that can generate materials. Dubbed MatterGen, it utilizes generative AI to create custom materials with specific properties.

The idea behind the new generative AI model is that it can be used to cut research time down to find materials for upcoming projects. Rather than trying to sift through compounds, the user will be able to describe what they need. MatterGen “directly generates novel materials given prompts of the design requirements for an application.”

Microsoft claims that it can create these materials with requirements like its chemistry or magnetic properties. It works quite similarly to image generators like Grok or DALL-E, with requested details generated quickly to cut back on time spent trying to find the exact materials.

A team in China collaborated with Microsoft to create “TaCr2O6” using the AI model. According to the paper published on the topic, the material produced did match the AI’s predictions.

Microsoft’s generated compound being inspected (Source: Microsoft)

Microsoft has already introduced generative AI into research areas, including medical fields. Its generative AI projects have helped drug discovery in some fashion since 2021.

Microsoft’s blog refers to transforming energy storage. Key examples given are lithium-ion batteries, which the key material was only discovered in the 1980s. Using MatterGen, it’s assumed Microsoft and those using it would be able to triangulate on new materials without having to excavate large areas.

Microsoft appears to be racing AI for a new energy solution

These have been ideas that Microsoft has expressed interest in and invested heavily in. In 2024, the Seattle giant published a blog about how it used AI to screen 32 million “candidates” to find a better battery. This blog itself was based on research conducted in 2023.

As Microsoft completes its pivot from providing software (and sometimes hardware) to services and AI, the company – like other AI companies – is facing an energy crisis. Numerous parts of its research appear to indicate that the company is quite aware, and Microsoft’s own actions outside of science show this too.

The company is reopening nuclear plants on Three Mile Island to provide enough energy to its data centers. Meanwhile, Meta is attempting something similar, and OpenAI’s head, Sam Altman, has invested in nuclear fusion technology.

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