- AI is so powerful that its capability to optimize many process parameters even surpasses the understanding of engineers.
- CATL has established AI large model-driven autonomous laboratories.
Wu Kai, chief scientist of CATL (HKEX: 3750), elaborated on how the battery giant is leveraging AI (artificial intelligence) to accelerate R&D, as the technology reshapes nearly every industry.
AI is helping the company accelerate the R&D process for next-generation battery materials, Wu said Wednesday at the opening ceremony of The 18th China International Battery Fair in Shenzhen.
AI is highly powerful, and its capability in optimizing many process parameters even surpasses the understanding of professional engineers, according to Wu.
Traditional battery material R&D models are facing significant limitations, and the industry is undergoing an AI-led transformation from empirical trial-and-error to on-demand design, he said.
CATL utilizes AI models to pre-screen massive amounts of candidate materials in search of ideal chemical systems. The technology has slashed the time required for screening new materials by two orders of magnitude.
The company has applied AI technology to the in-depth exploration and development of various key battery materials. This covers fields including cathode coating materials, high-voltage electrolytes, and novel perovskite passivators.
In the closely watched R&D of solid-state batteries, AI technology has also provided crucial support for CATL.
The company's R&D team pinpointed seven target materials in just three months and improved ionic conductivity, according to Wu.
Beyond the discovery of new materials, AI is also widely used for the in-depth optimization and adjustment of complex manufacturing process parameters.
Despite significant progress, Wu noted that current AI applications remain limited to task acceleration for certain areas.
CATL's future vision is to build large model-driven, high-throughput autonomous laboratories, achieving efficiency leaps from intelligent evolutionary design to fully autonomous verification.
These highly automated laboratories can currently meet about 70% to 80% of the company's material synthesis needs, autonomously completing everything from feeding and reaction to separation, purification, and analysis, Wu said.
CATL currently holds an absolute dominant position in the global EV battery market, commanding a 40.7% global market share in the first three months of 2026, according to data from South Korean market research firm SNE Research.
In China, CATL's power battery installation volume reached 29.06 GWh in April, ranking first with a 46.64% market share, according to the China Automotive Battery Innovation Alliance (CABIA).
