Mitsui Chemicals Joins as Founding Member of AI Materials Foundry, a Network Aiming to Accelerate New Materials Development with Generative AI
2026.07.28
Mitsui Chemicals, Inc.
Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. (Tokyo: 4183; President & CEO: ICHIMURA Satoshi) today announced that it has joined AI Materials Foundry, an international network that aims to accelerate new materials development through the use of generative AI, as a founding member.
About the AI Materials Foundry
Led by CuspAI*, AI Materials Foundry is an international network for developing next-generation materials through generative AI. More than 45 leading companies and research institutions worldwide are participating in the network, including NVIDIA, Meta, Samsung, Henkel, Applied Materials, Tokyo Electron and Lam Research.
With CuspAI’s proprietary AI platform MIRA at its core, AI Materials Foundry will bring together generative AI with broader knowledge and exploration capabilities by integrating high quality training data, computational resources such as hardware and software, test facilities and expertise. This will enable the seamless execution of processes ranging from initial R&D exploration to candidate material design, evaluation and experimental verification, all through large-scale AI simulations. The network is expected to make the development of new materials faster and more efficient in ways that would have been difficult for individual companies to achieve on their own.
Image: Training for the AI platform
Purpose of Participation
Materials play a critical role in supporting innovation in advanced industries such as semiconductors, and there is growing demand for further sophistication and acceleration in materials R&D. Through its participation in AI Materials Foundry, Mitsui Chemicals will acquire access to AI technologies and related knowledge to strengthen its R&D capabilities. The company will also explore new business opportunities through the creation of new materials and promote global co-creation by building relationships with participating companies, thereby contributing to further innovation in next-generation materials.
Comment from OMOTE Toshihiko, CTO and Managing Executive Officer
As a founding member, Mitsui Chemicals sees this initiative as more than an opportunity to participate in an advanced AI platform. We view it as an opportunity to structurally strengthen our competitive advantage. We expect AI-driven materials discovery to significantly improve the speed of R&D and the success rate of new business creation, generating tangible business value. Through collaboration with CuspAI, NVIDIA, Meta and others, we will incorporate cutting-edge technologies into our company and use the knowledge gained to enhance Mitsui Chemicals’ competitiveness.
* CuspAI (https://www.cusp.ai/)
CuspAI was founded in 2024 by Dr. Chad Edwards and Professor Max Welling to build the AI system for materials discovery. Through its 'AI Materials Foundry' - a global network of over 45 partners, including NVIDIA and Meta - the company is accelerating breakthrough discoveries in semiconductors, energy, and climate. CuspAI has raised over $650M from investors including Kleiner Perkins, NEA, Temasek, NVentures, Bezos Expeditions, Samsung, and Hyundai Motor Group. Headquartered in Cambridge, UK, the company operates globally across London, Amsterdam, Berlin, Tokyo, Singapore, and the United States. Its advisory board includes Nobel laureate, Geoffrey Hinton; Turing Award Laureate, Yann LeCun; former President and CTO of ASML, Martin van den Brink; Berkeley Distinguished Professor, Kristin Persson; and AMD Board Member & Chairman of Lam Research, Abhi Talwalkar.
