Cuspai and A*STAR Announce Five-year Partnership To Accelerate AI-driven Materials Discovery In Singapore
SINGAPORE & CAMBRIDGE, UK - The Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore’s lead public sector R&D agency, and CuspAI, the frontier AI materials science company, today announced a five-year, multi-programme partnership. The collaboration aims to accelerate the discovery and experimental validation of new materials across semiconductors, carbon capture, and advanced electronics. The first discovery project is now under way.
CuspAI will bring its cutting-edge AI-driven materials discovery platform whileA*STAR Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (A*STAR IMRE) will contribute deep expertise in materials science and autonomous laboratories - co-developing new materials for industry from simulation through to synthesis. This collaboration is a key industry partnership with A*STAR research institutions to accelerate materials innovation from research to industry application.
A*STAR IMRE houses the first fully autonomous materials lab for Metal Organic Frameworks (MOFs) in Southeast Asia, connecting AI-driven discovery with automated systems to execute experiments at high throughput. The initiative is designed to be industry-driven, with research anchored in real problem statements from partnering startups and multinationals. Several projects with A*STAR IMRE and A*STAR Institute of Advanced Intelligence and Computing (A*STAR IAIC) in semiconductors, carbon capture and battery materials are under way.
CuspAI has also established an office in Singapore to support the partnership and serve additional customers in the Asia-Pacific region.
Bridging the gap between materials design and real-world application
Advanced materials underpin many of the technologies shaping the global economy - from next-generation semiconductors to sustainable energy systems. Yet the gap between computationally designing a new material and physically making it remains one of the biggest bottlenecks in materials science. For Singapore, where advanced manufacturing and sustainability are key pillars of the national research agenda, closing this gap is directly relevant to maintaining the country's industrial and scientific competitiveness.
Together, the partnership between CuspAI and A*STAR will create a more direct connection between computational design, synthesis and testing. For industry, this means new materials that are designed, validated and optimised for specific performance requirements can reach application faster. This can reduce the time and cost of development in sectors such as semiconductors, decarbonisation and advanced manufacturing.
"A*STAR brings world-class experimental capability across material classes that directly complements our AI platform, enabling us and our partners to realise new materials faster," said Dr Chad Edwards, Co-Founder and CEO of CuspAI. "Materials designed by our platform for industrial partners can now move directly into synthesis and testing within months, not years. That closes the loop from computation to physical proof, which is where real value is created. Singapore is also a natural hub for our growing Asia-Pacific customer base, and we are excited to be establishing a permanent presence here."
"We are exceptionally proud to be CuspAI's first partner in Singapore," said Professor Loh Xian Jun, Executive Director of A*STAR IMRE. "Integrating world-class computational capabilities with superior experimental execution is central to how we advance materials research at A*STAR. By combining CuspAI's cutting-edge computational platform with A*STAR IMRE's deep, world-leading expertise in materials science, we are strengthening our ability to translate research into practical outcomes for industry and deepening Singapore's capabilities at the forefront of innovation."
Beyond the initial focus areas, the partnership will also span aerospace and advanced manufacturing, including high-performance alloys and ceramics for extreme environments, as well as next-generation acoustic and photonic materials for high-speed connectivity and power management. The partnership comes as CuspAI also announces its AI Materials Foundry, a global network to accelerate breakthroughs in materials discovery. A*STAR joins 47 other partners as a founding member.
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For media queries and clarifications, please contact:
A*STAR
Aefy Raib
Corporate Communications
Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)
Email: aefyraib@a-star.edu.sg
CuspAI
press@cusp.ai
About the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)
The Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) is Singapore's lead public sector R&D agency. Through open innovation, we collaborate with our partners in both the public and private sectors to benefit the economy and society. As a Science and Technology Organisation, A*STAR bridges the gap between academia and industry. Our research creates economic growth and jobs for Singapore, and enhances lives by improving societal outcomes in healthcare, urban living, and sustainability. A*STAR plays a key role in nurturing scientific talent and leaders for the wider research community and industry. A*STAR's R&D activities span biomedical sciences to physical sciences and engineering, with research entities primarily located in Biopolis and Fusionopolis.
About CuspAI
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.
