Niobia uses AI to help battery and chip makers find defects

San Francisco startup Niobia is building AI software to help battery and chip manufacturers identify production defects and investigate their causes. Its system flags flaws on production lines, then lets engineers ask a chatbot what may have gone wrong, with the aim of providing answers in minutes rather than days.

The company’s AI agents run on self-contained GPUs mounted on manufacturing equipment. They can detect pinhole-sized flaws, including scratches. Niobia gathers production data in one place so engineers can examine potential causes. The company’s co-founders, Gaurav Jha and Harveen Kaur, have PhDs in chemistry and have worked at chipmakers and battery manufacturers.

Niobia says its agents use open-source models that it further trains with battery and chip research and other data. Jha said the company chose that approach partly because customers do not want proprietary information sent to a public AI cloud. Niobia also lets customers retain their encryption keys, so the startup cannot decrypt their data.

The startup is focusing on three specialties: film coating, electroplating and fluidized bed reaction. Jha said Niobia ultimately wants its technology to become more autonomous, with the goal of building fully self-driving factories for customers. The company is a finalist in TechCrunch Disrupt 2026’s Startup Battlefield and was set to present in San Francisco on October 13, according to TechCrunch.