AI in Materials Discovery Market Sees Rapid Growth Through Integration of Machine Learning Tools

The global AI in materials discovery market is expected to expand significantly, fueled by breakthroughs in deep learning, quantum computing, and big data.The market sizing and forecasts are revenue-based (USD Million/Billion), with 2024 as the base year.

Last Updated : 12 Aug 2025  |  Report Code : 6564  |  Category : ICT   |  Format : PDF / PPT / Excel

List of Contents

  • Last Updated : 12 Aug 2025
  • Report Code : 6564
  • Category : ICT

AI in Materials Discovery Market Size and Forecast 2025 to 2034

The global AI in materials discovery market trends show rising investments and collaborations between tech firms and research institutions to advance material innovations. The demand for AI in materials discovery is increasing due to the growing need for rapid investments and innovations. The AI adoption is also expected to turn out to be cost-effective in the long run.

AI in Materials Discovery Market Size 2025 to 2034

AI in Materials Discovery Market Key Takeaways

  • North America dominated the global AI in materials discovery market with the largest market share of 38% in 2024. 
  • Asia Pacific is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR during the forecast period. 
  • By material type, the polymers segment accounted for the highest revenue share of 28% in 2024. 
  • By material type, the nanomaterials segment is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR during the projected period.
  • By technology type, the machine learning segment held the biggest revenue share of 35% in 2024.
  • By technology type, the generative models segment is expected to rise at the highest CAGR. 
  • By function/workflow application, the property prediction segment generated the major revenue share of 32% in 2024.
  • By function/workflow application, the synthesis route prediction segment is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR during the projected period.
  • By deployment mode, the cloud-based captured the highest revenue share of 54% in 2024.
  • By deployment mode, the hybrid segment is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR during the forecast period.
  • By end-use industry, the pharmaceuticals and biotechnology segment held the highest revenue share of 26% in 2024. 
  • By end-use industry, the energy and power segment is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR from 2025 to 2034.

Market Overview

The AI in materials discovery market refers to the use of artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and data-driven algorithms to accelerate and optimize the discovery, design, development, and testing of new materials. This includes polymers, alloys, composites, ceramics, and nanomaterials across a variety of industrial applications. AI tools reduce the cost, time, and trial-and-error traditionally associated with material R&D by simulating properties, predicting performance, and guiding synthesis strategies.

  • Faster R&D cycles- The constantly rising demand for material development has made AI a preferable choice for many companies and research institutions to adopt AI, as it helps in saving the required time for various experiments and discoveries. 
  • Growing smart material demand- The rising demand for smart materials in various industries like automotive, aerospace and electronics is playing a crucial role in attracting significant demand for AI-based solutions due to its innovative structure. 
  • Big data availability in material science- The growing popularity of computational material databases is playing a crucial role in enhancing AI algorithm demand in these projects.

Market Scope

Report Coverage       Details
Dominating Region North America
Fastest Growing Region Asia Pacific
Base Year 2024
Forecast Period 2025 to 2034
Segments Covered Material Type, Technology Type, Function/Workflow Application, Deployment Mode, End-use Industry and Region
Regions Covered     North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa

Market Dynamics 

Drivers

Rising government initiatives

Multiple governments are focusing on launching strategies and programs to prioritise the use of AI in material innovation. The leading global countries, like the United States, have launched the Material Genome Initiative to boost the discovery, development, and deployment of advanced materials. These factors are playing a crucial role in adopting advanced resources and technologies to improve the outcome of these initiatives.

The rising initiatives are also backed by the rising funding for laboratories, universities and other research centres to focus on the discovery of sustainable materials. The AI in materials discovery market is expanding rapidly as departments like NSF(USA), BMBF(Germany), and DST(India) are leveraging AI and ML to boost their operations. 

Restraint

Higher initial investment

The growth of AI is highly adopted in the developed economies due to the higher institutional and government support. The use of AI in material innovation is limited for some startups or institutions, as it requires advanced software and hardware infrastructure. The lower financial availability in third-world countries restricts them from focusing on innovations and discovery in various industries. Additionally, the AI wave is in its initial phase, which still lacks some trained professionals with specialization in a niche, which increases their demand in the current market situation.

Opportunity

Rise of the AI material discovery platform

The traditional research and development activities are time-consuming and costlier, which adds certain restrictions in some markets. The revolution of technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) is one of the major innovations that is helping in innovation and discovery. AI-powered platforms are gaining significant popularity due to the structure that provides on-demand solutions to users. Tools like SaaS and PaaS have been in higher demand in recent years, and are being integrated with the material datasets. Some of the current market examples are Citrine Informatics, which is a leading Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) company that utilizes artificial intelligence (AI) and materials science expertise to accelerate the development and optimization of materials and chemicals. 

Material Type Insights

The polymers segment generated the highest revenue share in 2024. These materials are molecules made up of repeating units, which are plastics, rubbers, and resins. The dominance of the segment is attributed to the widespread user base of these materials in various industries like automotive, construction, electronics, healthcare and many more. The AI in materials discovery market is expanding rapidly due to the higher data availability, which helps in the use of AI for more detailed research and development. Additionally, the AI database is highly used in these activities due to the simple structure of the polymer properties. The higher industry use is also expected to drive more innovations for sustainable innovations in the future.

The nanomaterials segment is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR during the projected period of 2025 to 2034. These materials include structural features at the nanoscale that offer unique properties, which make them ideal for applications in medicine, energy and electronics. The growth of the segment is attributed to the functional properties, which often require AI and ML to manage the complex tasks. The rising demand for advancements in electronics, aerospace, and biomedicine is expected to drive innovation from governments and leading companies.

Technology Type Insights

The machine learning segment marked its dominance by contributing the highest revenue share in 2024. The technology involves the use of algorithms that learn patterns from data and make further predictions. The dominance of the segment is attributed to the widespread adoption of ML, which helps in predicting the hardness, thermal resistance and other properties within the spectrum, making it more reliable. The rising requirement has also made the integration easier to implement compared to other technologies. The AI in materials discovery market is expected to gain more popularity as the structural working of ML is more compatible with handling polymers, alloys and other materials.

The generative model segment is anticipated to grow at the fastest CAGR during the forecast period of 2025 to 2034. The technologies create new data or content based on the training inputs, which can help in material design. The growth of the segment is attributed to the high relevance of these materials in drug delivery, battery chemistry and the designing of semiconductors, which is one of the highly popular programs in the recent market situation. These models are marking significant growth as the researchers are applying GANs in their process for faster discovery. The rising R&D activities throughout multiple sectors are expected to drive more demand for such generative models in the upcoming years. 

Function/workflow Application Insights 

The property prediction segment accounted for the largest revenue share in 2024. The workflow involves the use of AI to predict the chemical, physical, thermal or mechanical properties of material. The dominance of the segment is attributed to the foundational step in R&D, i.e. property prediction, which leverages the use of AI, enabling the researchers to evaluate the material in a shorter period. The AI in materials discovery market is expanding rapidly due to the availability of a database that allows effective training for more accurate results. The rising R&D activities in various fields like electronics, aerospace, automotive and others are expected to create more rapid demand in the coming years due to lower time consumption.

The synthesis route prediction segment is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR during the forecast period of 2025 to 2034. The workflow is the use of AI to predict the innovation of a material. The growth of the segment is attributed to the higher AI requirement in identifying materials, especially nanomaterials. The use of AI simplifies the process by analyzing massive chemical reaction data. The AI in materials discovery market is expected to gain popularity as the majority of the labs are adopting automation to increase accuracy in their operations. The rising AI adoption is also expected to gain significant popularity in the rise of novel material innovation.

Deployment Mode Insights

The cloud-based segment generated the highest revenue share in 2024. The dominance of the segment is attributed to the accessibility of these cloud platforms, which allows researchers and companies to manage their requirements without any additional hardware investments. The AI in materials discovery market is expected to gain popularity as SMEs are adopting the use of cloud-based services in their daily operations. The leading companies are also relying on such platforms, as they eliminate the geographical barriers and maintain the workflow throughout various setups. The rising investments in security and constant updates are expected to improve the work pace with fewer distractions.

The hybrid segment is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR during the forecast period of 2025 to 2034. The growth of the segment is attributed to the rising requirement in industries like aerospace, pharmaceuticals and defence, which raises the requirement for both on-premise and cloud infrastructure. The hybrid setups are expected to gain more popularity in the future as AI is helping them to improve their privacy and data security.

End-Use Industry

The pharmaceuticals and biotechnology segment marked its dominance by generating the highest revenue share in 2024. The industry uses AI for drug material discovery and other operations. The dominance of the segment is attributed to the identification capability in targeted drug materials to improve the treatment effectiveness and patient safety. The AI in materials discovery market is expected to rise rapidly due to stringent regulations in the medical sector that leverage AI for more personalized outcomes. Additionally, the larger data availability is leading towards more demand in material modelling. The rising government support for healthcare improvement is expected to improve the outcomes.

The energy and power segment generated the highest revenue share in 2024. The growth of the segment is attributed to the higher advanced materials for performance optimization. AI is being highly used for predicting the material behaviour that gives real-time data for adopting sustainable and clean energy innovations. The constant government push for zero-net emissions is expected to create a huge demand for AI in the upcoming years. The renewable technologies like solar cells, electric vechicle batteries are also gaining demand at a rapid pace, which will help the market grow rapidly in the future.

Regional Insights

North America dominated the global AI in material discovery market by generating the highest revenue share in 2024. The dominance of the segment is attributed to the well-established infrastructure in the United States and Canada. The research institutions and national laboratories like Stanford, MIT and others are highly helping the region to lead in the global AI scenario. The presence of leading tech companies in the region is also creating multiple investments from the governments towards improving the use of AI in material innovation.

U.S. AI in Material discovery market trends

The United States stands as a dominant country in AI in materials discovery market due to the higher investments in R&D. The AI in materials discovery market is expected to maintain its growth throughout due to the growing investments from platforms like Citrine and DeepMind’s with the laboratories in the country. The advancing industries in the US, like automotive and aerospace, are expected to create more demand for cloud-based infrastructure adoption in the coming years. Moreover, the U.S. healthcare system is also expanding rapidly, which will help the market adopt AI in the future.

Asia Pacific AI in Materials Discovery Market Trends:

Asia Pacific is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR during the forecast period of 2025 to 2034. The growth of the segment is attributed to the manufacturing expansion in countries like India, South Korea and China. The AI in materials discovery market is expected to grow more rapidly as these governments are investing in R&D for improvements in their defence, healthcare and other sectors. The governments are also funding institutions like IIT and Tsinghua University, Tokyo University, for using AI in material discovery. The rising economic expansion is also expected to help the growth of startups and tech companies to enter the Asian market for more business growth.

China stands as a leader in the Asian business landscape due to its AI and material innovation focus. The country has been constantly investing in Next-Gen AI development with an aim to improve the workforce at a rapid pace. Additionally, the country is one of the leading electronic manufacturers, which is attracting massive investments for AI and ML adoption. The country contributes a higher number of material innovations on the global stage due to its advanced infrastructure.

AI in Materials Discovery Market Companies

AI in Materials Discovery Market Companies
  • Schrödinger Inc. 
  • MaterialsZone 
  • Citrine Informatics 
  • Exabyte.io 
  • DeepMatter Group Plc 
  • Aionics Inc. 
  • Orbital Materials 
  • PostEra 
  • Polymerize 
  • Quantum Motion 
  • NNAISENSE 
  • IBM Research (AI Chemistry Division) 
  • XtalPi 
  • Nautilus Materials 
  • Mat3ra (formerly Exabyte Inc.) 
  • Synthara AG 
  • Enthought 
  • Dassault Systèmes (BIOVIA) 
  • Turbine.ai 

Recent Developments

  • In January 2025, Microsoft launched MatterGen, a generative AI tool for materials discovery, which also created a new compound (TaCr2O6) and outperformed traditional screening methods. (Source: https://analyticsindiamag.com)
  • In June 2025, XtaIPi and Pfizer expanded collaboration to enhance AI-driven drug discovery and materials science simulations that aim to develop a next-gen molecular modelling platform that combines advanced physics-based methods with AI. (Source: https://www.prnewswire.com)

Segments Covered in the Report

By Material Type

  • Polymers 
    • Thermoplastics 
    • Thermosets 
    • Biopolymers 
  • Metals & Alloys 
    • Ferrous Alloys 
    • Non-Ferrous Alloys 
    • High-Entropy Alloys 
  • Ceramics 
    • Oxide Ceramics 
    • Non-oxide Ceramics 
    • Advanced Ceramics 
  • Composites 
    • Polymer Matrix Composites (PMCs) 
    • Metal Matrix Composites (MMCs) 
    • Ceramic Matrix Composites (CMCs) 
  • Nanomaterials 
    • Nanotubes 
    • Nanoparticles 
    • 2D Materials (e.g., Graphene) 
  • Semiconductors 
    • Organic Semiconductors 
    • Inorganic Semiconductors 

  By Technology Type

  • Machine Learning (ML) 
    • Supervised Learning 
    • Unsupervised Learning 
    • Reinforcement Learning 
  • Deep Learning 
    • Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) 
    • Recurrent Neural Networks (RNNs) 
  • Natural Language Processing (NLP) 
  • Computer Vision 
  • Bayesian Optimization 
  • Generative Models 
    • Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs)
    • Variational Autoencoders (VAEs)   

By Function/Workflow Application 

  • Property Prediction 
    • Mechanical 
    • Thermal 
    • Optical 
    • Electrical 
  • Molecular/Structural Simulation 
    • DFT Simulation Acceleration 
    • Atomistic Modeling 
  • Material Screening & Selection 
  • Synthesis Route Prediction 
  • Experimental Design & Optimization 
  • Failure Prediction & Material Lifespan Estimation 

By Deployment Mode

  • On-Premise 
  • Cloud-Based 
  • Hybrid 

By End-use Industry 

  • Pharmaceuticals & Biotechnology 
  • Automotive & Transportation 
  • Aerospace & Defense 
  • Electronics & Semiconductors 
  • Energy & Power 
    • Battery Materials 
    • Solar Cells 
    • Fuel Cells 
  • Construction & Infrastructure 
  • Chemicals & Advanced Materials 
  • Textiles & Coatings 

By Region 

  • North America 
  • Europe 
  • Asia Pacific 
  • Latin America 
  • Middle East & Africa 

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Frequently Asked Questions

The major players in the AI in materials discovery market include Schrödinger Inc. MaterialsZone, Citrine Informatics, Exabyte.io, DeepMatter Group Plc, Aionics Inc., Orbital Materials, PostEra, Polymerize Quantum Motion, NNAISENSE, IBM Research (AI Chemistry Division), XtalPi, Nautilus Materials, Mat3ra (formerly Exabyte Inc.), Synthara AG Enthought, Dassault Systèmes (BIOVIA), and Turbine.ai.

The driving factors of the AI in materials discovery market are increasing due to the growing need for rapid investments and innovations. The AI adoption is also expected to turn out to be cost-effective in the long run.

North America region will lead the global AI in materials discovery market during the forecast period 2025 to 2034.

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Shivani Zoting is one of our standout authors, known for her diverse knowledge base and innovative approach to market analysis. With a B.Sc. in Biotechnology and an MBA in Pharmabiotechnology, Shivani blends scientific expertise with business strategy, making her uniquely qualified to analyze and decode complex industry trends. Over the past 3+ years in the market research industry, she has become a trusted voice in providing clear, actionable insights across a

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