In a world grappling with extreme weather and food insecurity, Amazon Web Services (AWS) is betting big on climate tech startups to drive solutions.
Eight climate tech startups have been accepted into the second cohort of the Compute for Climate Fellowship, a joint initiative by AWS and the International Research Centre on Artificial Intelligence (IRCAI).
- This first-of-its-kind program funds proof of concepts for new ideas using advanced cloud computing to tackle climate change.
Why it's important: From extreme weather affecting 4.5 billion people to food insecurity, and the monumental task of transitioning the entire global economy to clean energy, the climate crisis presents some of the toughest challenges facing humanity.
"We are at a critical juncture, when generative AI is accelerating ways to solve the world's biggest challenges, including climate change," said Jon Jones, Vice President and Global Head of Startups at AWS."
"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."
The challenge: Climate tech startups are building powerful solutions to address these issues, but the problems are so vast and complex that many must invent entirely new scientific and technological solutions. Speed is critical to addressing the climate crisis before even more damage is done.
- This requires more funding, increased time for research and development (R&D) and access to advanced computing power.
The Compute for Climate Fellowship aims to help climate tech startups accelerate R&D and create positive change. Launched in 2023, it's the first global program to fund groundbreaking proof of concepts that use advanced cloud computing to address the climate crisis.
The details: AWS will provide up to $1.5 million in total AWS credits for the second cohort, up from $1 million in 2023. Each company will spend two to three months building a proof of concept.
"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," continued Jon Jones of AWS.
"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."
Startups will have access to technical resources, including:
- A team of advanced cloud computing, sustainability and ethics experts.
- High-performance computing (HPC) and quantum computing services.
- AI, generative AI and ML solutions.
- AWS Activate credits to cover the cost of the proof of concept build.
All proof of concepts will be designed under UNESCO's Ethics Impact Assessment for AI guidelines to ensure safe, trustworthy technology.
What is the Compute for Climate Fellowship?
The Compute for Climate Fellowship is a global R&D funding program that empowers climate tech startups to leverage advanced cloud computing and AI in the fight against climate change. The Fellowship was founded in 2023 by the International Research Centre on Artificial Intelligence (IRCAI), under the auspices of UNESCO, and Amazon Web Services (AWS). Each Fellow company accepted into the program builds a groundbreaking proof-of-concept (PoC) climate solution that is funded by AWS, with technical and scientific advisors from AWS and IRCAI.
- Grants in the form of AWS credits to cover the cloud computing costs of the PoC (up to $200k per startup)
- Three month PoC build period with personalized technical support and mentorship
- Access to advanced computing services, like quantum computing, HPC, and generative AI tools
- Expert guidance in advanced computing, AI, sustainability, and ethics from IRCAI and AWS mentors
- Media and visibility via speaking opportunities and PR (on a case by case basis)
- Showcase of results across United Nations and international bodies
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