SES AI Corporation (SES AI) has unveiled its new AI-enhanced 2170 cylindrical cell for emerging humanoid robotics applications during CES 2025 at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Nevada.
SES AI’s new 2170 cylindrical cell uniquely uses an electrolyte discovered by the company’s Molecular Universe effort, which is using AI to map the physical and chemical properties of the entire universe of small molecules suitable for battery electrolytes (10^11 molecules).
The 2170 cylindrical cell combines both the industry-standard form factor and large-scale availability of 2170 Li-ion cells with the enhanced low temperature, high-rate performance and high-capacity cycling stability, and reduced gassing and thermal risks of this new electrolyte discovered by AI.
The new cell delivers a compact, easy-to-integrate, high-energy density and high-power density cell for customers in humanoid robots, drones, and other applications.
The latest advancements in GPU and computing software have reportedly accelerated the time to map the single molecule properties of the Molecular Universe from more than 8,000 years to just 2 months.
This transformation in molecule discovery originates from the collaboration SES AI entered into with NVIDIA, Supermicro, and Crusoe in September 2024.
Founder and CEO Qichao Hu, stated, “We were asked by several OEMs to find an electrolyte that would solve the gassing and poor low temperature cycling and rate performance issues they were experiencing with traditional Li-ion 2170 cells used in high-energy applications.
“We believe the new electrolyte we have discovered through our AI solves this issue and opens a new market for us in Li-ion 2170 cells, which are predominantly used in robotics and drone applications.
“The worldwide market for Li-ion cylindrical cells alone is currently estimated at $10bn in 2023 and expected to grow to $50bn by 2033 according to Allied Market Research. Using this electrolyte in our new cells as well as Li-Metal applications creates additional revenue potential we had not previously anticipated.”
