AI set to unlock next-gen battery technology

Advanced materials underpin every facet of modern life - from metal alloys that support infrastructure to lithium-ion batteries powering electric vehicles. Despite their importance, traditional methods for designing these materials are slow, costly, and inefficient due to complex manufacturing processes.

Polaron has developed state-of-the-art generative AI that leverages microstructural image data - showing the features of a material only visible under a microscope - to bridge the gap between the way materials are made and their performance. The technology empowers engineers to characterise materials, quantify microstructural variation, and optimise microstructural designs faster than ever before.

Polaron has published scientific papers that demonstrate a more than 10% improvement in energy density of batteries is possible, roughly equivalent to adding 20 extra miles of range to a typical electric vehicle. Its AI models can explore thousands of material designs in under a day - a task that would take current state-of-the-art physics-based simulations around 50 years.

Polaron was founded by Dr Isaac Squires, Dr Steve Kench and Dr Sam Cooper, spinning out their research at Imperial College London in November 2023. The growing start-up unites AI, engineering, and materials science, paving the way for material innovations in batteries and beyond.

Dr Isaac Squires, CEO of Polaron, winner of the first Manchester Prize, said: “We are thrilled to have won the first ever Manchester Prize - it has been an extraordinary team effort. In the last year, we have turned the research we pursued at Imperial College London into a commercial product, using our AI to reduce years of materials development into a matter of days. We are now working with our first customers in the battery manufacturing sector to apply Polaron to improve the performance of EVs by extending range and reducing charge times. While this has been our core market to date, Polaron is material agnostic, and we are already bringing our rapid design capabilities to industrial manufacturing more widely, including alloys, composites and catalysts.”

The Manchester Prize is an annual multi-million-pound challenge prize from the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology, to reward British-led breakthroughs in AI for public good.

For the past year, 10 finalist teams have been developing innovative and impactful AI solutions to solve energy, environment and infrastructure challenges for the public good. Feryal Clarke MP, Minister for AI, announced Polaron as the winner in Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall at an event celebrating all 10 finalist teams last night.

Feryal Clark, Minister for AI said: “The Manchester Prize shows how we’re putting AI to work for people all over the country – supporting breakthroughs and innovations which will unlock so much positive change in our lives.

“Polaron’s work in developing advanced materials will have a range of uses, including in driving forward new efficiencies for the batteries powering electric vehicles – giving drivers more miles on the road – and in delivering homegrown energy like wind turbines – supporting lower cost, clean, secure power for the British people.

“The innovative work we’re supporting will mean that we can fast track untold numbers of new AI breakthroughs which put improvements into the hands of British citizens in mere days rather than years. This is how we’re putting our Plan for Change into action.”

Nick Jennings, chair of the judging panel for the Manchester Prize and Vice-Chancellor of Loughborough University, said: “Choosing a winner of the inaugural Manchester Prize was an incredibly tough decision. Polaron stood out because of its highly innovative approach to revolutionising a process that will unlock a multitude of possibilities for industry. Advanced materials play an extraordinarily important role across our lives; Polaron’s capacity to transform the pace of materials research and development is truly exciting and is a great example of AI being used for social good.”

Polaron is the first-ever winner of the Manchester Prize. Launched in 2023, the first year of the Manchester Prize called upon the innovators, academics, entrepreneurs, and disruptors in the UK to enter AI solutions that would deliver public good, receiving nearly 300 entries.

In May 2024, 10 finalist teams were awarded £100,000 each to develop their solutions, and a comprehensive support package, including additional funding for computing resources, investor readiness support, and access to a network of experts. Entries included AI to boost renewable power generation, AI for water and wastewater management, and AI to improve infrastructure maintenance.

The Manchester Prize is funded by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and is delivered by Challenge Works – part of the Nesta group. The prize is rewarding innovations that will help to transform the lives of the people across the UK and continue to secure the UK’s place as a global leader in cutting edge innovation.

The second Manchester Prize was launched in November 2024, which will award £2 million to AI-breakthroughs that help make Britain a clean energy superpower. 10 finalists will be announced in May 2025, each receiving £100,000 in seed funding, £60,000 in compute credits, and additional non-financial support to develop solutions capable of winning the £1 million grand prize in 2026.