The UK government has announced nearly £4m in funding for AI initiatives to reduce carbon emissions.

Twelve green AI initiatives will receive a share of £1m to decarbonise and boost the generation of renewable energy, in an effort to reach the UK’s net zero goal by 2050.

This goal is less ambitious than Scotland’s 2045 net zero target, but is in line with current UN targets to reach net zero by 2050 and reduce emissions by 45% by 2030.

The supported schemes included in the fund range from solar energy improvements which use AI to improve forecasting of when it will best produce energy for the grid, to the decarbonisation of dairy farming through the use of AI robots monitoring crop and soil health.

Even AI itself could reduce its carbon footprint, with one project developing hardware that will mimic the human brain so that a computer can reduce power consumption when performing AI tasks.

On top of this, the government will provide a further £2.25m to support further AI innovations with the aim of cutting emissions specifically in energy sectors.

This is in direct conflict, however, with earlier announcements which launched hundreds of new North Sea oil and gas licences to increase drilling for oil and gas extraction off the UK’s own coasts. The government has rationalised this on two fronts, saying that domestic oil and gas production produces less emissions than importing it, and that their investment in carbon capture technology will offset new drilling efforts.

However, a letter sent by 700 scientists and academics in the UK urged the Prime Minister to not provide any new licenses, saying this would undermine efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change.

Despite this, the government claims that their new investment in AI, which forms part of the £1 billion Net Zero Innovation Portfolio, cements the UK position at the forefront of AI and decarbonisation.

Minister for Energy Efficiency and Green Finance Lord Callanan said: “We are unquestionably world-leading when it comes to advanced AI and our track record for decarbonisation.

“This unique position means we must now push the boundaries in how this technology can enhance our rapidly-growing clean energy sector.

“It’s projects like those announced today that will take us to the next step on our ambitious journey to becoming net zero, while boosting our energy security and creating a new wave of skilled jobs for the future.”

According to Offshore technology, the UK is also a European leader in developing new oil fields, leading European figures and accounting for 19% of new drilling and extraction activity between 2023 and 2027.

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Digital Catapult

Further to the announcement of funding for AI decarbonisation efforts, the UK government is also providing £500,000 to its Digital Catapult agency, which is part of Innovate UK and supports businesses in progressing their ideas.

The funding will launch the UK’s first Centre for Excellence on AI innovation for decarbonisation (ADViCE).

This will provide a virtual hub in an effort to bring together businesses, academics, and experts to advance research into AI solutions and help industries cut emissions.

CEO of Digital Catapult, Dr Jeremy Silver, said: “The ADViCE programme will drive forward AI’s integral role in solving critical decarbonisation challenges. The programme partners sit at the heart of the UK’s dynamic AI ecosystem and are perfectly placed to forge collaborations between the technology community and some of our most carbon intensive sectors.

Smart use of AI and data will be fundamental to meeting the UK’s net zero commitment. ADViCE will support those building the algorithms and those investing in AI solutions in the most impactful way possible.”

Funded AI Projects 

The AI Projects to receive a total of £1 million to develop new decarbonisation solutions range from solar innovations to agricultural technology.

Secqai Ltd. in London is set to receive £100,000 to support the development of new ultra-low power AI technology, which mirrors the neural structure of the human brain. This new system will consume a fraction of the power of traditional AI hardware, helping to cut its carbon footprint.

£121,500 of funding will go to London-based Open Climate Fix Ltd. to develop AI that will support the connection of solar electricity to the energy grid. The technology will use satellite and weather data to forecast the amount to solar energy being transferred to the grid, to reduce network congestion and maximise the amount of renewable energy transmitted.

£133,932 of funding will also support a solar energy project run by the University of Nottingham. This project will use AI to improve the forecasting of solar energy production, using sky images and weather data.

Finally, £132,147 will help list.io Ltd. to create a new agriculture robotics that will provide an automated soil and crop health monitoring system, to support decarbonisation in crop management and dairy farms.

The government has today announced a further £2.25m under its AI for Decarbonisation Programme, taking the total funding provided to £3.75m. Energy firms, software developers, and innovators have until 10 October 2023 to apply.