Haber, an India-based startup pioneering industrial automation, inaugurated its new AI Green Chemistry Lab in Pune today to accelerate innovation in sustainable and environmentally responsible industrial chemistry. The facility was inaugurated by Dr. Raghunath Anant Mashelkar, Padma Vibhushan awardee and former Director General of CSIR. It is an advanced facility that expands on the company’s pioneering work in AI-driven chemistry development.
At the core of the facility is an integrated pilot plant, enabling the replication of large-scale manufacturing processes in a controlled environment. This capability empowers Haber’s scientists to test, validate, and refine formulations prior to market launch, thereby mitigating risks and enhancing scale-up efficiency between laboratory and industrial-scale production. Designed as a next-generation R&D hub, the center focuses on developing pioneering green chemistry formulations for key industries, including pulp, paper, packaging, tissue, and water treatment.
Vipin Raghavan, CEO & Co-Founder of Haber, remarked, “Innovation has always been at the core of Haber. With this new AI-driven lab and pilot plant, we are shortening the journey from concept to commercial deployment. This facility empowers our team to rapidly prototype smarter chemistries, minimize risk, and deliver solutions that help industries improve efficiency, reduce waste, and scale up sustainable practices faster than ever.” He also added “We are honored to have Dr. Mashelkar inaugurate our new lab. His career exemplifies innovation and excellence in chemical research, which is exactly what we aspire to achieve at Haber”.
Over the past two years, Haber has also introduced a range of AI-enabled analyzers and sensors, strengthening its position at the intersection of chemistry and technology. The company is now advancing into next-generation solutions driven by computer vision, with a sharp focus on enhancing precision and efficiency in data collection. By integrating the latest innovations in sensor design, Haber aims to achieve more accurate sampling and richer datasets, leading to smarter insights and improved process control. The aim is to build an optimized ecosystem of intelligent monitoring sensors and SaaS-powered platforms, seamlessly complemented by application-specific chemistries fine-tuned for performance.
This milestone demonstrates how AI can redefine the speed and scale of chemistry innovation. Dr. Raghunath A. Mashelkar commended Haber’s vision, “The energy, curiosity, and drive I see in this team are truly infectious. By harnessing artificial intelligence and coupling it with a world-class pilot plant, Haber is not just creating new chemistries, it is creating new possibilities. This lab shows how India can lead the world in combining science, technology, and sustainability to deliver solutions with global impact”
Through this expansion, Haber will bolster its capability to serve core industries such as pulp, paper, packaging, tissue, and water treatment. Haber commits to spending over $10 Mn towards research and development. These sectors, often dealing with water-intensive and chemical-intensive processes, stand to benefit from Haber’s advanced solutions that combine smart chemistry with AI-driven automation. To date, the company’s solutions have helped industries save over 97,000 MWh of energy, conserve nearly 30 million cubic meters of water, and cut more than 92,000 tons of emissions. These achievements highlight the transformative potential of combining AI with smarter chemistry and the new lab is set to amplify this impact even further.
