19. Aug 2026
Mitsui Chemicals invests in Materia Bioworks AI technology
Mitsui Chemicals (Tokyo, Japan) recently announced that it has made a minority investment in Materia Bioworks Inc. (Toronto, Canada).
Materia Bioworks is a startup utilizing computational chemistry and AI to develop a platform (“MAPS”) that can efficiently design and formulate sustainable materials, such as bioplastics. By leveraging computational chemistry and AI, the company streamlines product development using bioplastics, a process that traditionally required significant time and cost, thereby reducing development time and costs while also driving down the cost of bioplastics themselves.
Materia Bioworks’ AI-powered platform, MAPS (Material Application Prediction System) conducts simulations of customer’s production lines using digital twins - recreation of the state of real-world equipment, products, and processes in a digital environment – and provides advice on optimal manufacturing conditions to the customer, such as processing conditions.
The technology can, for example, be used to supports companies in obtaining approvals for bioplastics in compliance with regulations in various countries by leveraging a proprietary database of biomaterials and biodegradable materials.
By utilizing their biomass materials in Materia Bioworks’ bioplastic design services, Mitsui Chemicals aims to expand its provision of bioplastic materials offering to customers globally. Furthermore, Mitsui Chemicals will collaborate with Materia Bioworks to meet the performance and quality requirements of customers through the possible joint development of new bioplastic materials. AT
jp.mitsuichemicals.com
www.materiabioworks.com