Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Success! Now Check Your Email

To complete Subscribe, click the confirmation link in your inbox. If it doesn’t arrive within 3 minutes, check your spam folder.

Ok, Thanks

Google DeepMind launches climate-focused AI accelerator for Asia Pacific startups

Selected organisations will receive expert mentorship, tailored support and help integrating frontier AI and science AI models from Google's researchers into their projects or products

Defused News Writer profile image
by Defused News Writer
Google DeepMind launches climate-focused AI accelerator for Asia Pacific startups
Photo by Karsten Würth / Unsplash

Google DeepMind, the artificial intelligence research division of Alphabet, is launching its first climate-focused accelerator programme in Asia Pacific to help the region tackle mounting environmental risks with AI.

The three-month programme, branded "AI for the Planet", is open to startups, research teams and nonprofits across the region and will begin with an in-person bootcamp in Singapore.

Selected organisations will receive expert mentorship, tailored support and help integrating frontier AI and science AI models from Google's researchers into their projects or products.

The programme targets organisations working on AI applications across nature, climate, agriculture, energy and related fields, with the aim of accelerating deployment of solutions that are struggling to keep pace with the region's rising environmental exposure.

Dr Ramine Tinati, who directs the Impact Accelerator for the region, wrote in the announcement that green technologies are gaining momentum across Asia Pacific but adoption remains fragmented and scale remains elusive.

The initiative builds on Google DeepMind's expanding footprint in the region, which has included the opening of its first Southeast Asian research laboratory in Singapore and a doubling of its Asia Pacific team over the past year.

The announcement comes as enterprise AI spending across the region surges, with IDC forecasting that Asia Pacific organisations will spend more than $78 billion on AI systems in 2026, with significant portions directed towards climate adaptation and sustainability.

Google DeepMind has already applied its AI research to environmental challenges elsewhere, including weather forecasting models that have outperformed traditional numerical methods and flood prediction systems deployed across multiple countries.

Applications are now open, with interested organisations able to register through the programme's website.

The accelerator follows a similar three-month format to Google DeepMind's recently launched robotics accelerator for European startups, suggesting the company is standardising its approach to supporting early-stage ventures working with its technology across different sectors and regions.

Defused News Writer profile image
by Defused News Writer

Explore stories