Materia AI has secured a UK Government grant to accelerate the development of ReGenTrace AI, a platform positioned as the UK’s first AI-driven digital system purpose-built to support a circular EV battery ecosystem.
The funding marks a milestone for the startup, which is working to modernize how electric vehicle batteries are collected, processed, and reintegrated into the supply chain at the end of their useful life.
The grant, awarded through Innovate UK, forms part of the government’s Catalyst for Early Stage Start-ups program, which supports companies working on frontier technologies such as artificial intelligence, engineered biology, quantum and advanced connectivity.
Building a digital infrastructure for a circular battery future
Under this program, Materia AI will develop ReGenTrace AI’s Minimum Viable Product (MVP) and create a digital foundation for a scalable EV battery circular economy.
The platform is designed to address a growing challenge facing the UK, namely the rapid increase in the amount of end-of-life EV batteries expected over the next decade.
As EV adoption accelerates and demand for critical minerals increases, Materia AI argues that data-driven circular supply chains are essential for long-term industrial resilience.
ReGenTrace AI aims to enable this change by transforming battery recycling into an automated, transparent, and intelligence-driven process.
How ReGenTrace AI works
ReGenTrace AI is developed as a cloud-native platform that integrates machine learning, predictive modeling, and blockchain-based traceability.
Together, these technologies aim to create a single digital backbone for the circular economy of EV batteries, supporting every step of the value chain.
Planned modules include AI-powered collection logistics optimization, real-time material identification, black mass yield prediction, and AI-guided material development.
The platform also features market forecasting tools, dynamic life cycle assessment (LCA), carbon optimization capabilities, as well as blockchain traceability to ensure the provenance of materials.
By unifying fragmented processes across recycling, logistics, and material recovery, Materia AI aims to enable recyclers to scale more efficiently, reduce operating costs, and improve material recovery rates while strengthening ESG compliance.
Strengthening the UK domestic EV battery ecosystem
The primary aim of ReGenTrace AI is to support the creation of a national EV battery circular economy in the UK.
Currently, much of the value of used batteries is at risk of being lost through inefficient collection and export of materials.
Establishing a circular economy for domestically produced EV batteries would keep vital minerals in the UK, reduce dependence on unstable global supply chains and reduce carbon emissions associated with long-distance transport and primary mining.
The domestic ecosystem will also support industry growth by enabling UK recyclers, manufacturers and researchers to collaborate through shared digital infrastructure.
Platforms like ReGenTrace AI act as connective tissue, ensuring the efficient circulation of materials, data, and value within borders, strengthening energy security, and supporting net-zero goals.
Validation and next steps
The first ReGenTrace AI module is expected to be operational by the end of March and will be validated through an MVP implementation at a UK-based battery recycler.
This real-world testing phase will allow Materia AI to refine the platform and demonstrate how digital intelligence can unlock efficiencies across the EV battery circular economy.
As the UK prepares for a wave of used EV batteries, the government-backed Materia AI initiative highlights the growing role of AI-driven infrastructure in building resilient, transparent and circular battery supply chains fit for an electric future.
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