Compute for Climate Fellowship Announces Eight New Startups Selected to Build Their Proof-of-Concepts for Free on AWS

LJUBLJANA, Slovenia, Nov. 13, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The International Research Centre on Artificial Intelligence (IRCAI), an organization under the auspices of UNESCO, in collaboration with Amazon Web Services, Inc. (AWS), today announced the selection of eight groundbreaking startups as the latest recipients of the Compute for Climate Fellowship. This global program fully funds proof-of-concepts of innovative solutions that use advanced computing and artificial intelligence (AI) in cloud to address the climate crisis in key areas, including clean energy, low-carbon transportation, sustainable agriculture and food, circular economy, sustainable buildings, greenhouse gas accounting, carbon removal, and environment risk.

"At IRCAI, we believe that the climate crisis demands innovative, cross-sector solutions. By spearheading public-private partnerships, we aim to unite industry, government, and research leaders to push the boundaries of AI and research and development (R&D), in ways that directly combat climate change," said Davor Orlic, Chief Operating Officer of IRCAI. "The Compute for Climate Fellowship is built on the foundational pillars necessary for impactful AI innovation in addressing climate change: substantial compute resources, dedicated R&D, and cutting-edge talent, while access to advanced computing power enables the data-intensive demands of AI, it is equally vital to pair this with rigorous R&D alongside the expertise of industry leaders. This combination creates a forward-looking partnership model that harnesses technology for maximum impact. Together, we're building a robust foundation that empowers innovators to create scalable, sustainable solutions for our climate."

With 3.6 billion people already living in areas highly susceptible to climate change, solutions for the climate crisis are an urgent need. The Compute for Climate Fellowship aims at empowering startups with access to advanced technologies and expert resources to create impactful solutions that can address the complex challenges created by climate change. Launched last year, the program has already helped the first four companies selected by the program to accelerate their research and development (R&D) process with no cost to them. The new cohort of companies selected from more than 100 applications from 22 countries are:

• Aigen (U.S)—aims to improve food quality through solar-powered, autonomous Element robots that offer herbicide-free crop protection and high-resolution insights, promoting sustainable agriculture.
• Asoba(South Africa)—transforming energy management in Africa with an AI-driven platform that optimizes distribution, enhances grid resilience, and supports a decentralized, sustainable smart-grid system to meet the continent's demand for clean energy and modern infrastructure.
• Brightband (U.S)—democratizing weather and climate forecasting by providing accessible AI-driven tools to improve extreme weather predictions, aiming to save lives and reduce economic impacts.
• Cosma (France)—using underwater micro-drones and AI to deliver scalable, cost-effective environmental surveys for sustainable ocean management, providing high-resolution data for industries like offshore energy and environmental consulting.
• Matter Intelligence (U.S)—leveraging a constellation of hyperspectral and thermal imaging satellites with 20x resolution improvement, combined with artificial intelligence, machine learning, and high-performance computing, to monitor earth's natural and built environments and track biodiversity using physics-based models.
• Lithos Carbon (U.S)—accelerates carbon capture in agricultural soils through enhanced rock weathering, using AI-driven insights and industry integration to deliver verified carbon credits and scalable climate solutions.
• Smartex (Portugal)—enhances textile manufacturing through AI-powered fabric inspection and a digital management platform, enabling manufacturers to reduce waste, improve quality, and increase sustainability in production.
• Thea Energy (U.S)— develops fusion energy systems aimed at creating affordable, clean energy to decarbonize industries and communities.

"We are at a critical juncture, when generative AI is accelerating ways to solve the world's biggest challenges, including climate change. It is more crucial than ever that we support innovators who are bringing scalable solutions to life by pushing the frontier of what's possible with technology," said Jon Jones, Vice President and Global Head of Startups at AWS. "The startups we selected for the Compute for Climate Fellowship represent big, bold, approaches to tackling some of the planet's most urgent challenges, from clean fusion energy, to better ways to track biodiversity, to sustainable textiles, and more. AWS is honored to support these pioneers, equipping them with the latest in AI and advanced cloud computing to help turn their ambitious ideas into positive impact on our planet."

Each startup will receive resources and mentorship to develop solutions that align with the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals, including access to IRCAI's scientific expertise. New applications for the 2025 POC will open in Q1!

About IRCAI
IRCAI operates under UNESCO to advance AI applications supporting the UN's Sustainable Development Goals and coordinates the European Green AI research project RAIDO, which helps combat climate change by optimizing the use of AI resources.

About UNESCO
UNESCO contributes to peace and global cooperation in education, science, and culture.

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