Prof. Mario Krenn is the Scientific Director & Co-Founder of Feyer GmbH and Professor for Machine Learning in Science at the University of Tübingen, where he leads the Artificial Scientist Lab.
For over a decade, Mario’s research has focused on using AI not just to analyze physics data, but at a conceptual level; building AI explorers that discover completely novel experimental setups, optics, and quantum hardware. In July 2026, alongside CEO Jonathan Klimesch and CTO Sören Arlt, he co-founded Feyer GmbH: a frontier AI lab for automated physical invention.
As one of only 10 European teams selected for SPRIND's €125M Next Frontier AI Challenge (€3M non-dilutive seed phase), Feyer couples neural explorers with ultra-fast, differentiable physics simulators. Their mission is to autonomously invent next-generation industrial hardware (from advanced microscopy and lasers to lithography and quantum sensors) scaling Europe's high-tech manufacturing strengths.
Feyer GmbH: https://feyer.ai
Mario Krenn: https://mariokrenn.wordpress.com
Ilir on X: https://x.com/IlirAliu_
Ilir on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ilir-aliu/
Timestamps:
0:00 "AI that invents industrial hardware": What is Feyer GmbH?
3:08 How the Cyber Valley ecosystem turned an academic researcher into a founder
5:43 Growing up in Austria: Programming operating systems at age 10
11:31 Stephen Hawking, mysteries of space, and choosing physics over engineering
15:01 Joining Anton Zeilinger's lab in Vienna: "What is the next to the next step?"
18:33 March 2014: Writing a program to design a quantum experiment humans couldn't solve
21:58 Finding solution.txt & the realization that computers can be creatively scientific
28:28 Moving to Toronto & Vector Institute: Learning AI material discovery from Alán Aspuru-Guzik
34:49 Returning to Europe & building the Artificial Scientist Lab in Erlangen & Tübingen
37:47 Asking questions to the universe: Why physics experiments are fundamental
43:35 Breaking resolution limits in microscopy & applying AI to industrial high-tech
45:49 Winning SPRIND's Next Frontier AI Challenge & founding Feyer GmbH
47:25 Scaling European hardware strengths: Semiconductor, photonics, and optics leadership.
