Ambri

Ambri develops and manufactures cost-effective liquid metal batteries when compared to lithium-ion batteries. Ambri’s liquid metal battery comprises a liquid calcium alloy anode, a molten salt electrolyte, and a cathode composed of solid particles of antimony, enabling the use of inexpensive materials and streamlined steps in the cell assembly process. Ambri batteries were invented at the Group Sadoway lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). 

The Ambri battery platform comes as a ready-to-install DC containerized system, with shelves of cells, thermal management, a weatherproof outer enclosure, and a battery management system. The system can then be coupled to the grid using standard industrial DC-AC bi-directional inverters.

Notably, Ambri’s batteries have 4 to 24 hours of energy storage capacity and can last for over 20 years with minimal degradation. In June 2022, the company began construction of a new 140,000 sq.ft. manufacturing facility in Milford, Massachusetts with a capacity of 200,000 battery cells per year. The facility was set to begin customer deliveries in 2023.

Key customers and partnerships

In September 2019, Ambri signed a joint agreement with NEC Energy Solutions (NEC) to design and develop an energy storage system based on Ambri’s proprietary technology. NEC will deploy its proprietary AEROS energy storage operating system to optimize Ambri’s energy storage systems and has committed to a minimum purchase of 200 MWh of Ambri cells.

In April 2021, Ambri and TerraScale deployed its Liquid Metal Battery technology at the latter’s Energos Reno project in Nevada. This project involves the development of a data center with 500 megawatts (MW) of on-site renewable power generation within ten years to power an inside-the-fence microgrid. In October 2022, Ambri signed a MoU with Reliance Industries, furthering their strategic partnership, to deliver a pilot system to the latter by mid-2023 in support of their investment in sustainable and renewable power generation.

In September 2022, Ambri commissioned a system for Microsoft. In July 2023, Ambri partnered with Xcel Energy to jointly test a 300 kWh system at SolarTAC in Aurora, Colorado, for 12 months.

Funding and financials 

In August 2021, Ambri raised USD 144 million in a funding round led by Reliance New Energy Solar (a subsidiary of the Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries)The funds will be used to build manufacturing facilities in the US and internationally. Ambri’s largest shareholder is Bill Gates.