Have you heard about a search engine that can search materials for you? The answer could be a big ‘No.’ There is an initiative to it now. Cambridge-based startup CuspAI is challenging traditional methods of material discovery. It has come up with an AI-powered material search engine. Investors are considering the new search engine has immense potential. It is evident from the company’s recent funding of $30 million from seed round that was led by Hoxton Ventures. Other significant contributions were Basis Set Ventures and Lightspeed Venture Partners. The funding is learned to help the company revolutionary its approach.
The traditional process is not simple. Development of new materials requires creating a substance and thereafter analyzing it with computers to verify the properties. It is a backward approach and CuspAI co-founder and CEO Chad Edwards questions it. He said that if one can put materials or molecules in and get properties out, then why can’t you put properties in and get materials and molecules. CuspAI uses generative AI to design materials from desired properties and it is not the other way around.
The market is dominated by giants like Schrodinger and Dassault Systemes. CuspAI aims to carve out a niche with its unique approach. Similar innovators include Orbital Materials. It is an AI platform developed by a team which was in the team of Google’s DeepMind. It lately secured $16 million funds in discovering materials for applications like batteries and carbon capture.
Edwards has liked the potential of their platform. He said it is the dawn of the “materials-on-demand” era. He drew parallels to historical epochs defined by their materials such as the Bronze Age or Stone Age.
