Many carmakers have design studios in Southern California, and they also have tech labs in Silicon Valley where engineers experiment with the latest digital developments. Recently, Nissan disclosed that their Bay Area offices have been utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) to expedite research on automotive materials. Although AI has gained popularity as a buzzword, its capabilities extend beyond writing term papers for students or impersonating celebrities. According to Nissan, the traditional process of researching and testing new materials for car parts used to require 20 years, involving numerous cycles of trial and error. However, AI simulations have remarkably reduced this time frame to just two years — a staggering 1, 000 times faster. Bala Radhakrishnan, the principal researcher in simulation, explains, "With machine learning and AI, you can efficiently simulate the properties of materials for a significantly larger number of scenarios than can be feasibly tested experimentally within a short time span. This enables us to explore millions of potential materials and identify the candidates with the desired properties. " It is important to note that the AI employed by Nissan differs from systems like ChatGPT, which is a generative AI that generates content by scraping existing knowledge from the internet.

Nissan's AI, on the other hand, leverages machine learning to simulate numerous automotive materials and perform tests to predict their ideal properties, including strength, temperature sensitivity, and conductivity. Human involvement remains vital throughout the process. Once the AI filters the most promising candidates, engineers interpret the data and subject the materials to physical testing. AI simply aids in predicting the most probable candidates and filtering out irrelevant noise. In practical terms, one particular area where AI has significantly accelerated progress is the development of solid-state batteries for electric cars. Nissan has plans to introduce these advanced battery technologies to the market by 2028.