Berlin-based Dunia Innovations has announced plans for a €280M, 6,000-square-metre autonomous R&D facility called GigaLab, targeting the experimental-verification bottleneck created by AI-generated materials candidates. Backed by Siemens, ABB Robotics, NVIDIA, AWS, and ILS, the facility will combine AI, lab automation, digital twins, and high-throughput testing to validate materials at industrial scale. Operations are expected to begin in 2028, with over 200 direct jobs created. Dunia argues that simulation alone cannot predict real-world material behavior, and that a factory-scale science infrastructure is needed to keep pace with AI-driven materials discovery. The project is positioned as Europe's largest materials-infrastructure announcement of the year, with funding expected from a mix of venture capital, industrial partners, and European public co-investment.
