Aionics, Inc. and Carnegie Mellon University Announce Licensing Agreement for Breakthrough Battery Electrolyte Design Software

Aionics, Inc., and Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) have announced a licensing agreement for intellectual property developed in the $1.58MM Accelerated Computational Electrochemical systems Discovery (ACED) program funded by the US Department of Energy Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E) and led by Associate Professor Venkat Viswanathan.

The official press release can be found here. The text of the press release has been provided below.

PALO ALTO, Calif., Sept. 07, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Aionics, Inc., and Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) are announcing a licensing agreement for intellectual property developed in the $1.58MM Accelerated Computational Electrochemical systems Discovery (ACED) program funded by the US Department of Energy Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E) and led by Associate Professor Venkat Viswanathan. More information on the program can be found at https://www.cmu.edu/aced/.

Aionics, Inc. is a Palo Alto-based startup that uses artificial intelligence and quantum mechanical simulation to design next generation materials for batteries and other energy technologies. The startup is accelerating the process of designing materials for these applications as well as radically expanding the design space of materials considered. The company regularly screens millions to billions of candidate electrolyte formulations in its partnerships with leading battery manufacturers, automotive companies, and others. Professor Viswanathan is a co-founder and serves as Chief Scientist.

Aionics, Inc. Chief Executive Officer and co-founder Dr. Austin Sendek said the licensing deal reflects the company’s commitment to using the best computational tools for designing and commercializing new electrolytes. “While scientific intuition around electrolytes remains limited, and experimental testing capabilities are growing slowly, computational methods are improving exponentially every day,” Sendek said. “By pairing the cutting-edge tools developed at CMU with our in-house capabilities and expertise, Aionics is building the most advanced electrolyte foundry in the world.”

”We are glad to see the adoption of technology developed in the Viswanathan lab entering into the marketplace through Aionics.” said Robert Wooldridge, Associate Vice President for Technology Transfer and Enterprise Creation at CMU. Viswanathan added: “Witnessing the transition of our computational design tools for electrolyte design and optimization from research to full-fledged commercialization through Aionics is an electrifying moment. This stack represents the most advanced electrolyte design and optimization tool with the effort of dozens of researchers behind it.”

About Aionics, Inc: Aionics, Inc. was founded in 2020 with the mission of accelerating the development of materials for a zero carbon world. Aionics, Inc. co-innovates with leading companies in electric vehicles, aviation, grid-scale storage, and green manufacturing. To learn more visit aionics.io.

Katie Duckhorn
katie@bulleitgroup.com