![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SPEEDlab-1500-1536x864-1-1024x576.jpg\")
SPEED\u2019s robots coordinating AI-driven synthesis and characterization of small molecules. (Image credit: Milad Abolhasani\/NC State)<\/p>\n SPEED\u2019s robots coordinating AI-driven synthesis and characterization of small molecules. (Image credit: Milad Abolhasani\/NC State)<\/p>\n
NC State University, UNC-Chapel Hill and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) will work together as part of a new National Science Foundation-funded effort to\u00a0 establish a nationwide network of artificial-intelligence-enabled automated laboratories<\/a> across the United States.<\/p>\n The project is part of the NSF\u2019s Directorate of Technology, Innovation and Partnership\u2019s Programmable Cloud Laboratories (PCL Test Bed) program.<\/p>\n NC State will lead the effort with a four-year, $20 million award from NSF to support the SPEED Lab, which stands for Self-Driving Platforms for Experimental co-Design in Chemistry and Materials Science, led by Milad Abolhasani<\/a>. UNC-Chapel Hill will be a partner institution in the NSF grant-funded project, with Alex Miller<\/a> in chemistry leading a team that also includes Jillian Dempsey<\/a> and Erik Alexanian<\/a> (chemistry) and Ron Alterovitz (<\/a>computer science).<\/p>\n The effort will be part of the research portfolio of UNC\u2019s Sustainable Energy Research Consortium<\/a>, based in the College of Arts and Sciences, and led by Miller.<\/p>\n A key tenet of SPEED is advancing \u201cself-driving labs\u201d where human scientists are directing research goals, while smart robotics carry out the procedures. A major goal of the project (and the broader PCL Test Beds initiative) is to enable remote control of automated laboratory instrumentation.<\/p>\n One of UNC\u2019s major roles is to help build those capabilities by developing new access\/control interfaces and by piloting a broad range of different chemical reactions. The promise of SPEED, according to Miller, is making cutting-edge research questions more accessible to researchers all across the country.<\/p>\n \u201cThe development of hardware and software tools that enable users that don\u2019t have access to advanced instrumentation to test their research ideas could be revolutionary,\u201d Miller said. \u201cThe individual self-driving lab modules within SPEED can accelerate the process of moving from lead discovery to optimized outcome dramatically \u2014 by 100 times or more \u2014 by performing experiments in parallel and using machine learning methods to predict the most promising next set of experiments. This combination of accelerated discovery and broad accessibility is really exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n The UNC team will be instrumental in implementing the project\u2019s science drivers on the automation infrastructure at NC State. These science drivers include enabling more efficient synthetic pathways to produce high-value specialty\/fine chemicals and accelerating the translation of next-generation materials into manufacturing for more energy efficient digital displays and other technologies.<\/p>\n \u201cThe automated robotic experimentation capabilities that have been developed at NC State over the past few years provide an extraordinary opportunity for accelerating the discovery and improvement of chemical reactions that can benefit society,\u201d Miller added. \u201cOur UNC team will expand the scope of reactions being studied in the self-driving labs and bring new tools for robust remote communication with the instruments.\u201d<\/p>\n Read more about the new NSF-funded AI-programmable cloud laboratories.<\/a><\/p>\n