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Ex-Apple AI Scientist Helps Northvolt Speed Up Battery Making

Ex-Apple AI Scientist Helps Northvolt Speed Up Battery Making

Artificial intelligence is being used by Northvolt AB to gain an advantage in the competition for innovative electric car battery technology. 

Previous Apple Inc. artificial intelligence researcher Siddharth Khullar has brought together a group of machine learning specialists at Northvolt to expedite the development and production procedures of the Swedish battery manufacturer. The project may enable the business to increase its testing capacity in some regions.

Ex-Apple AI Scientist Helps Northvolt Speed Up Battery Making

Image Source: bloomberg.com

The specialists have assisted in implementing AI-powered sensors and software, as well as machine learning, to support testing as well as manufacturing at Northvolt’s main facility located in Skellefteå, close to the Arctic Circle. At Northvolt Labs in Västerås, they are actively investigating how artificial intelligence may be utilised to expedite research and development.

“We think in some areas we would be able to save up to 50% of latency,” Khullar said in an interview. “That would mean being able to do twice the number of experiments with the same number of people.”

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AI can be helpful for the Future of EVs

In an effort to power electric vehicles more affordably and effectively, battery manufacturers are vying for market share with next-generation technology. AI may pave the way for novel developments in battery chemistry as well as design. Battery research is still relatively new to machine learning, but given the volume and complexity of data in the field, it makes sense.

Professionals are now using artificial intelligence in manufacturing, chemistry, and cell design. Recently, research has begun to explore how machine learning may take the role of physical inspections. Khullar stated that there are over 4,000 inspection locations at Northvolt’s main facility alone.

“AI is about returning time to our people, so they can do more,” the researcher said, adding that battery-making yields so much data that it couldn’t be handled by human workers alone.

“AI won’t be able to replace 10 years of working on a specific process in the line,” Khullar said. “But we can assist them with a lot of knowledge search, summarization, preparation of content, analyzing a ton of numbers and showing them patterns and making better decisions.”

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Almost his tenure of almost six years at Apple, Khullar collaborated on research endeavours pertaining to self-driving automobiles and sleep tracking, as well as features for the Apple Watch. His team has expanded to eighteen members since he became part of Northvolt barely more than a year ago, and he is actively seeking more hires.

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