CATL says AI speeds battery R&D

CATL’s top scientist used a battery industry event in Shenzhen on May 13 to describe how artificial intelligence is changing one of the slowest parts of the electric-vehicle supply chain: materials research. Wu Kai, CATL’s chief scientist, said AI is helping the company speed development of next-generation battery materials by optimizing process parameters beyond what engineers can infer on their own. The remarks matter because CATL is not a niche lab operator. The Chinese battery maker held 40.7% of global EV battery installations in the first quarter of 2026, equal to 99.5 gigawatt-hours, according to SNE Research data reported on May 6 by CnEVPost. Global EV battery usage totaled 244.6 GWh in the quarter, up 9.1% from a year earlier. Wu’s comments add detail to a broader push by CATL to use AI more aggressively in research. (cnevpost.com) In March, founder and chairman Robin Zeng said the company planned to step up AI use in R&D as it pursued further growth and overseas expansion, according to the South China Morning Post. ### What exactly did Wu Kai say AI is doing inside the lab? (cnevpost.com) Wu Kai said at the opening ceremony of the 18th China International Battery Fair in Shenzhen that AI is accelerating R&D for next-generation battery materials. He said the technology is especially useful in optimizing large numbers of process parameters, a task he said can exceed the intuitive grasp of professional engineers. (scmp.com) The CnEVPost report said CATL uses AI models to pre-screen large pools of candidate materials in search of suitable chemical systems. Wu said traditional battery materials research, which has relied heavily on empirical trial-and-error, is hitting limits and is shifting toward what he described as on-demand design. ### Where does AI save time in battery development? Cathode and anode research were the clearest examples in Wu’s description. (cnevpost.com) He said AI can identify combinations of process parameters that human teams may not discover through conventional experimentation, helping researchers narrow the field before they commit to more physical testing. Scale-up is another bottleneck Wu singled out. (cnevpost.com) He said the same approach can help move from laboratory work toward production by improving parameter selection during process development, according to the May 13 report. ### Why does this matter for CATL specifically? CATL enters that AI push from a position of market strength. SNE Research’s first-quarter data, as reported by CnEVPost, showed CATL’s 40.7% global share was far ahead of BYD’s 13.7% and LG Energy Solution’s 9.7%. (cnevpost.com) That scale gives the company a large commercial base while it works on new chemistries and manufacturing methods. CnEVPost separately reported in January that CATL received a World Economic Forum MINDS award for an AI-driven next-generation battery design project, which the company said combined augmented intelligence with battery development. (cnevpost.com) ### Is this a one-off comment or part of a broader company plan? Robin Zeng’s March remarks suggest the May 13 comments were part of a broader plan rather than an isolated statement. (cnevpost.com) The South China Morning Post reported that Zeng said CATL would increase investment in AI-based research and continue pushing Chinese battery technology and standards overseas. (catl.com) January’s World Economic Forum recognition also points to earlier work already underway. CATL said then that its AI-led battery design project aimed to improve efficiency, reliability and development speed in lithium-ion battery R&D. ### What should readers watch next? SNE Research’s next monthly and quarterly battery-installation releases will show whether CATL maintains the market lead it held in January through March. (scmp.com) The same datasets have become a regular benchmark for comparing CATL with BYD, LG Energy Solution and other major battery suppliers. CATL’s own next signals are likely to come through product launches, conference appearances and company statements on new battery systems or manufacturing milestones. (catl.com) On April 21, the company used a launch event to unveil six innovations including its Naxtra sodium-ion battery, showing the kind of platform where it has recently tied research claims to specific products. (prnewswire.com) (cnevpost.com)