About the AI Science Foundry
The AI Science Foundry hosts the nation’s largest collection of co-located research tools for hard materials, chemistry and biology, coupled with scalable, flexible and programmable orchestration software that can call upon these instruments in parallel or in any sequence. AI agents design and manage experiments, then analyze data and suggest the next experiment. Programmable robots traverse the laboratory aisles carrying samples from one instrument to another.
Innovation Programmable Cloud Labs
The AI Science Foundry enables AI-guided autonomous experimentation within and across metal and alloys, chemistry and biology.
The Biological and Chemical Innovation Cloud Lab is a 15,000-ft2 facility custom designed and built to operate as a programmable cloud lab at scale. It hosts 80 major scientific instruments, and many additional supporting instruments organized in a modular grid for mobile robotic sample transfer. Each instrument has cameras and sensors to capture full details (data and metadata) for each protocol step. These instruments are integrated with AI-driven automation and robotics.
The Materials Innovation Cloud Lab is a programmable cloud lab containing facilities for research in metallurgy, alloying, powder production and metal additive manufacturing (AM). It resides within a 60,000-ft2 facility that includes state-of-the-art AM capabilities, low- and high-bay advanced robotic manufacturing project areas and a machine shop. A recently purchased Amazement rePOWDER machine fabricates lab-scale quantities of metal powder with controlled compositions. The 2,300-ft2 PCL contains a powder bed, powder-feed AM machines, facilities to fabricate lab-scale quantities of powders and characterization tools.
Enabling Next-Generation World Changers
The AI Science Foundry will provide students with advanced experimental capabilities, supporting their readiness to step into newly created jobs and fields.
Partnering for a Better Future
Carnegie Mellon faculty and students will partner with industry to tackle complex challenges and create solutions and societal impact in critical areas.
Accelerating Science Automation Platform (ASAP)
ASAP is a purpose-designed, modular programmable infrastructure that enables local and remote users to describe experiments, then schedules and orchestrates many experiments in parallel in an AI-guided, autonomous manner. The proximity of equipment, coupled with open software, enables users to develop complex experiments within or across life sciences, chemistry and materials science without navigating multiple access protocols or physically relocating samples.
Innovation Sandbox
In addition to advancing scientific research and translation, the AI Science Foundry will include space for researchers and engineers to advance the next generation of automation, robotics and the integration of reproducible and traceable workflows.
AI is revolutionizing science. Programmable cloud labs harness the power of AI and large-scale autonomous experimentation to push the boundaries of innovation. These capabilities will transform how we design, discover and deploy new technologies, strengthening our nation’s capacity to lead in the decades ahead.
Theresa Mayer
CMU Vice President for Research