Saint-Gobain uses Microsoft AI to cut cement emissions

Saint-Gobain, a 361-year-old construction materials company, partnered with Microsoft to use Discovery, an AI-powered research platform, to find lower-carbon cement additives. Researchers processed 62,000 patents and 44,000 abstracts in hours rather than a year, generating testable hypotheses within six weeks. The company also deployed a cut-to-order system for plasterboard that eliminated landfill waste and improved installation time by 30%. Saint-Gobain and Microsoft formalized their collaboration with a framework agreement in July, aiming to accelerate sustainable construction materials research.