Google DeepMind recently announced their intent to build its first automated science laboratory in the United Kingdom. This facility will focus on discovering new materials to aid the advancement of semiconductors, batteries and computer chip efficiency.
The laboratory is due to open next year and forms part of a broader agreement between Google and the UK government, with the company adapting several of its AI models including Gemini for use by public employees, scientists and teachers.
DeepMind’s laboratory will help “turbocharge scientific discovery”, with a team of researchers overseeing work at the facility which will be fully integrated with Gemini, Google DeepMind stated.
“By directing world-class robotics to synthesise and characterise hundreds of materials per day, the team intends to significantly shorten the timeline for identifying transformative new materials”.
It added discovering new materials is one of the most important pursuits in science, offering the potential to reduce costs and enable entirely new technologies.
Examples cited include semiconductors operating at ambient temperatures and pressure, allowing for low-cost medical imaging and reducing power loss in electrical grids. Another potential from its work could help tackle critical energy challenges by unlocking advanced batteries, next-generation solar cells and more efficient computer chips.
The company did not provide any details on the investment it would make in the facility or staff numbers.
Separately, Google DeepMind stated it would begin sharing proprietary models and data with the UK AI Security Institute as part of a push to ensure cyber risks are “better understood and mitigated”.
In September, Google pledged to invest £5 billion in its UK operations, focusing on AI research for science and healthcare sectors.
Source: Mobile World Live
Image Credit: Google DeepMind
