UK government begins investing in green AI projects in a move to decarbonise the country

The UK government has earmarked £3.75 million ($4.78 million) for green AI initiatives aimed at decarbonising the country and solidifying UK’s dominance in this domain. A portion of this funding, £500,000 has been allocated to establish the Artificial Intelligence for Decarbonisation's Virtual Centre of Excellence (ADViCE) by Digital Catapult.

ADViCE will serve as a collaborative virtual platform, bringing together AI experts from both the public and private sectors.

£1 million ($1.3 million) has already been awarded to 12 projects in the program's 'strand 2', while an additional £2.25 million ($2.87 million) has been set aside for upcoming applicants.

Among the recipients is Secqai Ltd, based in London, which received £100,000 to develop energy-efficient AI technology inspired by the human brain's structure. This innovation aims to enhance AI's energy efficiency, aligning with decarbonisation objectives.

Open Climate Fix Ltd has secured £121,500 ($155,000) to create an AI system that utilises satellite imagery, weather data, and real-time data from the national grid for solar power generation forecasts. Accurate predictions of solar energy production will aid in grid management and storage provisioning, mitigating the need for constraint payments that compensate renewable energy operators for curtailed production.

Dr. Jeremy Silver, CEO of Digital Catapult, emphasised the ADViCE program's role in tackling decarbonization challenges through AI. He highlighted the importance of AI's strategic application in supporting the UK's net zero commitment and praised the program's potential to bridge the gap between the technology sector and carbon-intensive industries.

Recognizing AI's potential to bolster clean technology and decarbonisation, the program is welcoming applications for its strand 3 funding. The call extends to software developers, innovators, and energy companies, with the submission deadline set for October 10.

AI's transformative potential extends to carbon storage, complex physics simulations for accurate climate projections, and aiding businesses in achieving net-zero goals.

However, the energy efficiency of AI technologies must also be addressed to avoid undue environmental impact.

To this end, companies like HPE are committing to carbon-neutral AI, while others explore renewable energy sources to power data centres, thereby aligning AI's growth with sustainability objectives.