GM invests in artificial intelligence battery materials innovator Mitra Chem

Mitra Chem, a Silicon Valley-based creator of AI-enabled battery materials, has received a $60 million Series B financing round headed by General Motors. The company’s AI-powered platform and advanced R&D facilities in Mountain View, California, will aid in the production of affordable electric vehicle batteries.

GM and Mitra Chem will collaborate to develop improved iron-based cathode active materials (CAM), such as lithium manganese iron phosphate (LMFP), to power affordable and accessible EV batteries compatible with GM’s Ultium Platform EV propulsion architecture. The money from GM will allow Mitra Chem to increase its present operations and bring their innovative battery materials formulation to market faster.”This is a strategic investment that will help reinforce GM’s efforts in EV batteries, accelerate our work on affordable battery chemistries like LMFP, and support our efforts to build a U.S.-focused battery supply chain,” Gil Golan, GM Vice President, Technology Acceleration and Commercialization, said. “GM is accelerating larger investments in critical battery technology subdomains such as cell chemistry, components, and advanced cell production processes.” Mitra Chem’s labs, methodologies, and talent will complement the efforts of our own R&D team.”

Mitra Chem’s battery R&D laboratory can simulate, synthesise, and test thousands of cathode designs in sizes ranging from grammes to kilogrammes on a weekly basis. These technologies result in much shorter learning cycles, allowing for faster time to market for innovative battery cell formulations.