Google DeepMind to Open Gemini-Powered AI Lab in the UK to Accelerate Discovery of New Materials

Google DeepMind has announced a major partnership with the UK government to launch its first fully automated AI-driven laboratory by 2026, aimed at revolutionising the discovery of new materials. The facility will be designed from scratch to integrate seamlessly with Gemini, Google?s advanced AI model suite.

The upcoming lab will combine multidisciplinary research teams with state-of-the-art robotics, enabling the synthesis and analysis of hundreds of materials each day. According to DeepMind, this dramatically cuts down the time required to identify breakthrough materials for technologies such as:

  • Low-cost superconductors for medical imaging

  • Advanced, more affordable batteries

  • Next-generation solar cells

  • High-efficiency computer chips

?Discovering new materials is one of the most important pursuits in science, offering the potential to reduce costs and unlock entirely new technologies,?
? Demis Hassabis, CEO, Google DeepMind

Priority Access to Google?s Scientific AI Models

Under the partnership, UK researchers will gain priority access to four specialised AI for Science models developed by Google:

  • AlphaEvolve ? for designing new algorithms

  • AlphaGenome ? for decoding and understanding DNA

  • WeatherNext ? for advanced weather prediction

  • AI Co-Scientist ? a virtual scientific collaborator

Collaboration with the UK AI Security Institute

Google DeepMind will also share its proprietary AI models and datasets with the UK AI Security Institute, formed in 2023 to address risks from advanced AI systems. Together, they will work on:

  • Monitoring an AI model?s reasoning process (Chain-of-Thought)

  • Improving safety evaluations

  • Assessing long-term economic and labour impacts of AI systems

UK Government: Turning Cutting-Edge AI Into Public Benefit

Commenting on the partnership, UK Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said the collaboration will help translate cutting-edge AI research into ?real benefits for people,? including cleaner energy, smarter public services, and new opportunities.

?DeepMind is the perfect example of UK-US tech collaboration ? a company with roots on both sides of the Atlantic helping shape the curve of technological progress,?
? Liz Kendall, UK Technology Secretary