Google's AI division, DeepMind, has claimed to unearth "800 years' worth of knowledge" by discovering 2.2 million new crystals.
DeepMind suggests that the materials identified through this research could have far-reaching implications for various industries, introducing novel possibilities for future scientific breakthroughs.
Among the 2.2 million crystals discovered, approximately 380,000 are reportedly stable enough to pave the way for the development of next-generation technologies. These applications range from advancements in electric car batteries to the creation of superconductors for highly efficient computers.
To make this significant discovery, DeepMind utilized a cutting-edge neural network tool called GNoME (Graph Networks for Materials Exploration). According to DeepMind researchers Amil Merchant and Ekin Dogus Cubuk, GNoME bypassed centuries of laborious experimentation that would have otherwise been necessary to identify these materials.
"With GNoME, we've multiplied the number of technologically viable materials known to humanity," stated the researchers in a blog post. "GNoME shows the potential of using AI to discover and develop new materials at scale... We hope that GNoME and other AI tools can help revolutionize materials discovery today and shape the future of the field."
External researchers independently validated DeepMind's breakthrough by creating 736 of the new materials identified by GNoME. These materials, as described in the blog post, possess the potential to contribute to transformative technologies such as superconductors for powerful computers and advanced batteries to enhance electric vehicle efficiency.
The findings of DeepMind's research were detailed in a study titled 'Scaling deep learning for materials discovery,' published in the journal Nature. The researchers claim that GNoME can "reach unprecedented levels of generalization, improving the efficiency of materials discovery by an order of magnitude."
Commenting on the research, Carla Gomes, co-director of the Cornell University AI for Science Institute, expressed excitement, stating, "Scientific discovery is the next frontier for AI. That's why I find this so exciting." GNoME has been likened to the "ChatGPT for chemistry" by those uninvolved in the research, drawing parallels to the popular artificial intelligence chatbot released a year ago.
