Lecture given at Nagoya University's graduate school course "Venture Business Special Lecture I"

"Special Lecture on Venture Business I" offered at Nagoya University Graduate School is part of the entrepreneurship education program for science and engineering graduate students, and is a lecture aimed at teaching the perspective and practical knowledge of "commercialization" necessary to implement the results of university research in society.

The lecture was delivered by Asano, VP of Customer Success at Matlantis Corporation, who has been involved in Matlantis™ from the research and development phase through to commercialization. Drawing on his experience not only supporting users but also bridging the gap between technology and business to ensure AI simulation technology takes root in the field of materials development, Asano spoke about the development history of Matlantis, its path to commercialization, the current state of the business, and future prospects.

This lecture was attended by many students (over 300 people in total, online and offline) who were interested in materials development and venture businesses.

The lecture began by discussing the challenges posed by conventional R&D methods, particularly the computational costs and scalability limitations of first-principles calculations (DFT, etc.). He then explained the development of Matlantis, which focuses on machine learning force fields as a solution to these challenges. He also introduced the technological trend of advancing the use of machine learning in important areas such as renewable energy, using several similar technologies as examples.

Next, he spoke about the journey from research project to commercialization, sharing his aspirations as both a researcher and a business owner. The origin of the development was the mission of "creating innovative materials and contributing to a sustainable world," and to achieve this goal, he made numerous strategic decisions, including meticulous market analysis and the establishment of joint ventures. In his lecture, he provided background information and cited examples of Matlantis' use in cutting-edge battery materials and semiconductors, explaining the concrete value it brings to development sites.

A total of 24 questions were asked during the Q&A session, ranging from business and technology-related topics to how to study machine learning. Asano offered advice based on his own experiences, and there was also a lively discussion about the challenges facing Japan's research capabilities, creating an opportunity for a lively exchange of opinions.

Finally, Asano mentioned the uncertainty of the modern world, saying, "What we thought was optimal today may become a different optimal solution tomorrow." He concluded his lecture by saying that in the coming era, it will be important to develop 1) people who can identify issues and lead projects, 2) people who can solve issues using cutting-edge technology, and 3) people who can simplify and expand systems.

Matlantis will serve as a foundation to support these human resources and research sites, accelerating innovative research and development and contributing to the revitalization of industry. We sincerely hope that this presentation will lead to future achievements for all participants.

<Future related plans>
In collaboration with Nagoya University's D-Center, we plan to offer "Matlantis," a cutting-edge science and engineering experiment course that combines lectures and practical training, in the second half of 2025. This course is open to anyone enrolled at Nagoya University, regardless of whether they are an undergraduate, graduate, or faculty member. For more information, please contact the D-Center.

Matlantis Corporation can also hold lectures upon request from universities, companies, and organizations. If you would like to hold a lecture, please contact us.