AWS program funds proof-of-concept efforts of four climate startups

For climate startups focused on cutting-edge science and in need of expensive, high-performance computing power, just creating a proof of concept (POC) can go a long way. That’s where the new Amazon Web Services (AWS) Climate Fellowship comes in. A joint initiative with UNESCO, it provides funding to entrepreneurs working in areas such as clean energy, low-carbon transport, carbon removal, and sustainable agriculture and food.

The company recently selected four startups to be part of its first group. They are currently in the midst of a 2-3 month effort to create a POC, leveraging his AWS technology and expertise in quantum computing, high performance computing, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and generative AI. “Programs like this are a big part of our strategy to help us identify startups that are using the cloud to solve complex problems,” she said, global head of startup specialization at AWS. said Katherine Van Nuys. Harness the cloud as a force for positive change. ”

Specifically, AWS granted each startup credits to pay for usage of cloud and other services (total costs of approximately $1 million).

4 startups

Realta Fusion is one such startup. Founded in 2022, the Madison, Wis., company is developing a compact magnetic mirror fusion energy system to decarbonize industrial heat and power. It focuses on developing a first-of-its-kind plasma stability simulation. Plasma stability is a key requirement for fusion power plants, and there are typically only a few supercomputers in the world capable of processing such simulations. His CEO at Realta, Cary Forest, said the company has access to only two of his properties in the U.S. and has a one-year waiting list.

Using the AWS cloud and other resources, Realta now has access to a set of interconnected CPUs and GPUs that can quickly communicate with each other, allowing it to perform critical high-performance parallel computations. This will dramatically speed up your work. “When you’re just starting out, speed is very important,” Forest says.

For AWS, this could also increase the interest of new types of customers. “Being able to do this kind of work in the cloud means other people can do it as well, without the need for specialized supercomputers,” Van Nuys says.

Other startups include:

coastal carbon. The Canada-based company’s AI-driven measurement platform uses satellite imagery to build models to track and measure underwater vegetation growth and carbon sequestration. Their POC will train a satellite-independent Earth and ocean fundamental model that can identify and quantify ocean blue carbon. “If successful, he could easily increase ocean surveillance and data collection capabilities by up to 1,000 times,” Van Nuys says. Previously, that work was done manually by divers.

phytoform. The UK-based company uses biotechnology, AI and agriculture to develop crop genetics that create more climate-resilient plants. His POC focuses on improving the accuracy of plant genetics insights platforms and evolving new crop traits that can create more climate-resilient plants.

The Toms. This water treatment startup uses AI and quantum computing to discover molecules that can purify contaminated water. The aim is to develop an AI algorithm that can analyze large amounts of chemical data and subsequently perform simulations of water purification molecules.

Applications for the new cohort are being accepted now through May 17 and will be considered for POC support in 2024.