Materia AI has been awarded a UK Government grant to accelerate the development of ReGenTrace AI, a platform positioned as the UK’s first AI-driven digital system built specifically to support a circular EV battery ecosystem.
The funding marks a milestone for the startup as it works to modernise how electric vehicle batteries are recovered, processed and reintegrated into the supply chain at the end-of-life.
Awarded through Innovate UK, the grant forms part of the government’s ‘Catalyst for Early-Stage Startups’ programme, which backs companies working in frontier technologies including artificial intelligence, engineering biology, quantum and advanced connectivity.
Building digital infrastructure for a circular battery future
Under the programme, Materia AI will develop a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) of ReGenTrace AI, laying the digital foundations for a scalable EV battery circular economy.
The platform is designed to address a growing challenge facing the UK: the rapidly increasing volume of end-of-life EV batteries expected over the next decade.
As EV adoption accelerates and demand for critical minerals intensifies, Materia AI argues that a data-driven, circular supply chain will be essential for long-term industrial resilience.
ReGenTrace AI aims to enable this shift by transforming battery recycling into an automated, transparent and intelligence-led process.
How ReGenTrace AI works
ReGenTrace AI is being developed as a cloud-native platform that integrates machine learning, predictive modelling and blockchain-based traceability.
Together, these technologies are intended to create a single digital backbone for the EV battery circular economy, supporting every stage of the value chain.
Planned modules include AI-powered optimisation of collection logistics, real-time materials identification, black mass yield prediction and AI-guided materials development.
The platform will also feature blockchain traceability to ensure material provenance, alongside market forecasting tools and dynamic lifecycle assessment (LCA) and carbon optimisation capabilities.
By unifying fragmented processes across recycling, logistics and materials recovery, Materia AI aims to help recyclers scale more efficiently, reduce operational costs and improve material recovery rates while strengthening ESG compliance.
Strengthening the UK’s domestic EV battery ecosystem
A key objective of ReGenTrace AI is to support the creation of a domestic EV battery circular economy in the UK.
Currently, much of the value from end-of-life batteries risks being lost through inefficient recovery or export of materials.
Establishing a homegrown EV battery circular economy would help retain critical minerals within the UK, reduce dependence on volatile global supply chains and lower the carbon footprint associated with long-distance transport and primary extraction.
A domestic ecosystem also supports industrial growth by enabling UK recyclers, manufacturers and researchers to collaborate through shared digital infrastructure.
Platforms like ReGenTrace AI can act as connective tissue, ensuring materials, data and value circulate efficiently within national borders, strengthening energy security and supporting net zero ambitions.
Validation and next steps
The first ReGenTrace AI modules are expected to be operational by the end of March, with validation taking place through an MVP deployment 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 end-of-life EV batteries, Materia AI’s government-backed initiative highlights the growing role of AI-led infrastructure in building a resilient, transparent and circular battery supply chain fit for the electric future.
