Hardware Podcasts

Advancing Battery Innovation for a Power Grid Under Pressure w/ Arwed Niestroj

The Manufacturing Executive · 19 May 2026 · Episode 310

AI in practice: one real use of AI described

What this episode covers

Arwed Niestroj, President and COO of Sakuu, explains why battery manufacturing is a complex material science problem where tiny defects cause failures, contrasting it with standard physical manufacturing. He details Sakuu's dry electrode coating technology, which eliminates toxic solvents and reduces facility footprint by 55%, enabling cost-effective Western production. Niestroj discusses how AI accelerates scaling and process control for these complex chemical reactions, and argues that this innovation allows for reshoring battery production to the US by lowering capital and operational costs.

AI in practice

Where this conversation describes AI being used to build or deliver a product. Part of the AI in practice tracker.

Engineering & simulationSakuu's AI systemaccelerates scaling from 18 months to much faster

The AI analyzes complex process data to learn relationships between input factors and output quality, enabling closed-loop control and faster scaling of new materials.

“collecting all this data will allow you to not only control with a closed loop, but you can now have AI actually learn much faster. … we're actually building this already right now, and we'll scale this with the machine so that at the end the machine is actually run by AI to a good extent.”

Arwed Niestroj · Hear it at 21:01

Most relevant to

companies scaling up

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Sakuu, Mercedes-Benz, Daimler, ZF, Guerrilla 76

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