Microsoft unveiled a groundbreaking battery material that has reduced lithium usage by 70%, a collaborative innovation with a U.S. national laboratory, garnering accolades from Tesla‘s iconic CEO, Elon Musk.

Researchers at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNLL) in Washington have advanced the solid-state electrolyte into operational prototype batteries, as per a company statement, while the definitive battery chemistry remains under review, pending extensive testing.

The innovative battery material incorporates sodium and additional elements alongside lithium, offering potential cost reduction and enhanced safety attributes such as decreased likelihood of fires, as per Microsoft’s statement.

Microsoft engaged advanced AI and high-performance computing to identify select workable materials, sifting through 32 million candidates for battery materials within a remarkably brief 80 hours to compile a list of 23 materials, including five that were already known.

Musk Responds: Musk’s reaction to Microsoft’s announcement was succinct, a tweet exclaiming “Interesting.”

Reliant on lithium-ion batteries for its electric vehicles and energy storage products, Tesla currently faces the challenge of the battery being the most expensive component of an EV, contributing to the higher pricing compared to traditional combustion engine vehicles.

With affordability being a critical factor in hindering larger-scale EV adoption, Musk has frequently emphasized the need for cost reduction. During Tesla’s third-quarter earnings call, he noted, “if our car costs the same as an RAV4, nobody would buy an RAV4 or at least they’re very unlikely to.”

In a recent X Spaces conversation, Musk dismissed concerns of scarcity for sustainable energy, proclaiming the Earth’s abundance of raw materials for solar energy and lithium batteries. “Even if the only way that you powered all of Industry on Earth and all power, including heating and transport, electrically, you could do that with solar and lithium batteries,” he remarked.