- Orbital Industries is licensing its CurieOS AI platform to BASF Environmental Catalyst and Metal Solutions (ECMS), a supplier of aftertreatment systems and catalytic solutions to the automotive industry, which will deploy it for catalyst innovation and development.
- CurieOS was previously used by Orbital to discover a PFAS-free cooling material and applied to develop two-phase cooling fluids and DSX-compliant AI infrastructure with NVIDIA.
- CurieOS uses AI to assess scientific literature and experimental data, run simulations and generate hypotheses before physical samples are produced; it is built around Orb, an AI-accelerated simulation model that predicts the properties of new materials.
- According to Orbital, Orb can simulate systems of up to 100,000 atoms on a single GPU, operates at 10 times the speed of its nearest alternative, and allows simulations that took weeks to be completed in hours.
- The BASF ECMS deployment is described as validation of the premise that one platform can develop breakthrough products across very different domains.
- The agreement comes at a critical time for the automotive sector, with mobile emissions catalyst technologies driven by tightening emissions regulations, evolving powertrain technologies and alternative fuels, as well as cost pressure; through the agreement, a quoted statement says, emerging AI technologies will be leveraged to address evolving customer and market needs.
Orbital Industries has taken a significant step in the application of artificial intelligence by licensing its CurieOS platform to BASF Environmental Catalyst and Metal Solutions (ECMS). This collaboration aims to enhance catalyst innovation for automotive emissions applications, marking a pivotal moment for AI's role in diverse industries.123456
The CurieOS platform, previously utilized to develop PFAS-free cooling materials for Orbital's data center operations, is now being adapted for the automotive sector. “CurieOS gives scientists a way to explore and test ideas computationally before committing time in the lab,” said an Orbital representative, emphasizing the platform's efficiency in directing research efforts.
At the core of CurieOS is Orb, an AI-accelerated simulation model capable of predicting the properties of new materials. Orb can simulate systems of up to 100,000 atoms on a single GPU, operating at 10 times the speed of its nearest competitor, significantly reducing simulation times from weeks to hours.78
This licensing agreement comes at a crucial time for the automotive industry, which faces increasing pressure from tightening emissions regulations and evolving technologies. “The hardest part of materials discovery is knowing where to look,” noted a BASF spokesperson, highlighting the transformative potential of AI in catalysis research.
The partnership between Orbital and BASF ECMS exemplifies how AI can drive innovation across various sectors, paving the way for breakthroughs in both materials science and automotive emissions technology.
“Orbital's Orb simulation model can handle up to 100,000 atoms on a single GPU, running 10x faster than alternatives and cutting weeks-long simulations down to hours. The BASF ECMS deployment is framed as validation that one platform can produce breakthroughs across very different domains, from cooling fluids to automotive catalysts.”
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