OpenAI Executive Departs to Launch AI-Driven Materials Science Startup

OpenAI exec leaves to found materials science startup | TechCrunch

Liam Fedus, OpenAI's VP of research for post-training, is leaving the company to found a materials science AI startup. The Information initially reported Fedus' plans. In a statement on X, Fedus confirmed the report and added a few additional details. "My undergrad was in physics and I'm keen to apply this technology there," Fedus said in the statement. "Because AI for science is one of the most strategically important areas to OpenAI and achieving [artificial superintelligence], OpenAI is planning to invest in and partner with my new company." Fedus' firm will compete with Google DeepMind, Microsoft, and others in the nascent AI materials science space. In 2023, DeepMind claimed that its AI system, Gnome, found crystals that could be used to make new materials. More recently, Microsoft unveiled a pair of materials-discovering AI tools called MatterGen and MatterSim.

OpenAI's Head of Post-Training Liam Fedus Departs to Build AI for Science Startup

Fedus, who led OpenAI's post-training team, which is responsible for fine-tuning AI models for public release, shared his decision in a message to colleagues, stating he intends to remain involved with OpenAI as a partner while pursuing new opportunities in AI for science. He expressed excitement about applying AI technology to scientific research, citing his academic background in physics. "I've gotten really excited about AI for science. My undergrad was in physics and I'm keen to apply this technology there," he said in his post on X. He also mentioned that OpenAI plans to invest in and partner with his new venture. "Because AI for science is one of the most strategically important areas to OpenAI and achieving ASI, OpenAI is planning to invest in and partner with my new company," he said. Fedus joined OpenAI in 2022 after a career spanning roles at Google Brain and academic research in physics and machine learning. He played a pivotal role in developing ChatGPT and advanced reasoning models like Strawberry. Fedus thanked OpenAI leadership and colleagues for their support during his tenure, stating, "Contributing to the mission of OpenAI and working with world-class teams to create and improve ChatGPT has been an experience of a lifetime." "Thanks to all the leadership who believed in me early on, especially, Sam, Greg, and Mark. Thank you everyone on post-training and to all of our collaborators across research and product." OpenAI has experienced the departure of several notable leaders recently. Among the prominent departures, Ilya Sutskever, the chief scientist and co-founder, resigned in May 2024 after being involved in the failed coup against Altman. He launched his own AI startup called Safe Superintelligence (SSI). Mira Murati, the chief technology officer, left OpenAI in September 2024 after serving over six years at the company and founded her own startup called Thinking Machines Lab last month. Bob McGrew, the chief research officer, and Barret Zoph, vice president of research, also announced their departures shortly after Murati. Alec Radford, a lead author of the original GPT paper, left OpenAI to pursue independent research.

Another exit at OpenAI: VP of research for post-training leaves to start own AI firm

In a post on X, OpenAI's vice president of research for post-training, said OpenAI is planning to invest and partner in his new venture. These are early days for AI in materials science, and Fedus' venture would be competing with Google DeepMind and Microsoft. Liam Fedus, OpenAI's vice president of research for post-training, is leaving the company. According to a report by The Information, Fedus plans to start a materials science AI startup. He confirmed the news on X, sharing additional details, including his partnership with OpenAI. He wrote, "I've gotten really excited about AI for science. My undergrad was in physics and I'm keen to apply this technology there. Because AI for science is one of the most strategically important areas to OpenAI and achieving ASI, OpenAI is planning to invest in and partner with my new company." The AI materials science field is still in its early stages, and Fedus' company will be competing with major players like Google DeepMind and Microsoft in this space. In January, Microsoft launched two AI tools for discovering materials: MatterGen and MatterSim. MatterGen predicts materials with unique properties based on scientific principles, while MatterSim determines which of MatterGen's materials are stable and viable. In 2023, DeepMind announced that its AI system, Graph Networks for Materials Exploration (Gnome), discovered 2.2 million new crystals, including 380,000 stable materials that could be used to create new materials and "power future technologies."