Blockchain Registration Transaction Record

NIMS's RDE Automates Materials Data, Supercharging AI-Driven Discovery

NIMS researchers create Research Data Express (RDE) to automate data processing for materials science, generating AI-ready datasets to accelerate discovery.

This development matters because it directly tackles a fundamental roadblock in modern science. The promise of AI to accelerate discoveries in materials science—which underpins advancements in clean energy, electronics, medicine, and more—has been hampered by the "data mess." Researchers waste valuable time manually cleaning and standardizing incompatible data instead of analyzing it. RDE automates this tedious process, creating ready-to-use datasets that fuel AI algorithms. This means new materials for better batteries, more efficient solar cells, or lighter alloys for vehicles could be discovered years faster. By making data FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable), RDE also fosters unprecedented collaboration and data sharing across institutions and borders, breaking down silos. Ultimately, it transforms raw experimental output into a powerful, structured knowledge base, shifting the research paradigm from data wrangling to genuine discovery and accelerating innovation that impacts technology and society.