Radical AI, a scientific research and development company focused on discovering novel inorganic materials, is establishing New York’s first fully autonomous materials science laboratory at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. The company will renovate and repurpose space in Building 20 to create a state-of-the-art headquarters and research facility capable of running approximately 100 AI-driven experiments per day. The $4 million project, supported by up to $2 million in performance-based Excelsior Jobs Program tax credits from Empire State Development (ESD), is expected to create 115 new high-paying jobs in the fast-growing fields of materials science and AI. This investment builds on New York’s statewide strategy to grow next-generation industries, expand high-wage job opportunities, and strengthen the state’s innovation economy.
“New York is leading the nation in turning cutting-edge research into real-world innovation and good-paying jobs,” Governor Hochul said. “Radical AI’s decision to establish the state’s first fully autonomous materials science laboratory at the Brooklyn Navy Yard strengthens our position as a global hub for artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing, and deep-tech research. By investing in companies that push the boundaries of science and technology, we’re ensuring the discoveries that drive long-term economic growth are developed, scaled, and commercialized in this state.”
Empire State Development President, CEO and Commissioner Hope Knight said, “Radical AI’s decision to build New York’s first fully autonomous materials science lab at the Brooklyn Navy Yard underscores the strength and diversity of our innovation economy. This project brings together artificial intelligence, advanced research, and high-quality job creation in a field that touches nearly every sector of the global economy. With support from Empire State Development, Radical AI is helping ensure that the next wave of materials discovery, commercialization, and startup growth happens right here in New York City.”
Radical AI CEO and Co-Founder Joseph Krause said, “Our new facility will run materials experiments at a pace and scale that traditional R&D cannot match, capturing experimental data that makes our AI smarter over time in a continuous data feedback loop. Our mission is to compress decades of materials discovery into years or months, and we’re grateful to ESD for backing that vision.”
Founded in 2024, Radical AI has grown from a small research team into a rapidly scaling company focused on accelerating the discovery of next-generation materials. Today, the company employs approximately 34 scientists, engineers, and technologists working at the intersection of AI, robotics, and materials chemistry. The company’s mission is to develop, test, and commercialize entirely new classes of materials that can transform a wide range of industries—from aerospace and energy to infrastructure, defense and manufacturing. Their autonomous technology combines AI and a self-driving laboratory to rapidly discover entirely novel materials that would otherwise take 10-to-20 years to develop. This approach enables faster innovation across industries such as energy, transportation, and advanced manufacturing, strengthening the city’s role in next-generation technology development.
Radical AI plans to convert an existing office space into a fully outfitted, advanced materials science lab equipped with specialized tools, gas lines, robotics systems, updated safety and organizational layouts, and essential infrastructure upgrades. Radical AI’s autonomous laboratory will focus exclusively on discovering new inorganic materials through AI-driven experimentation and R&D. The company’s high-throughput approach will accelerate the traditionally slow process of materials discovery by 370x, creating novel materials with applications across multiple industries.
With its expansion into the Brooklyn Navy Yard, Radical AI will further deepen its footprint in New York City and reinforce the city’s growing leadership in artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing, and deep-tech research. This investment strengthens the city’s innovation ecosystem by pairing cutting-edge AI capabilities with world-class scientific talent, creating a new hub for materials discovery that will support startup formation, commercialization, and long-term economic growth across multiple industries. As materials science underpins everything from energy and transportation to defense and manufacturing, Radical AI’s presence at the Brooklyn Navy Yard positions New York City at the forefront of the next generation of technological breakthroughs.
Autonomous materials science combines AI, robotics, and advanced chemistry to rapidly discover entirely new materials that would otherwise take years to develop. This approach enables faster innovation across industries such as clean energy, transportation, and advanced manufacturing, strengthening the city’s role in next-generation technology development.
