AI projects adress the climate challenge

The initiative is about further developing research ideas and knowledge that can lead to AI being used to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but also to adapt society to the climate changes that cannot be prevented. The projects include collaborations between universities and companies where research and expertise in AI meet.

An example is a project run by Swerim AB where AI will be used for improved regulation of surplus gases in steel production. This will lead to increased use of the gases for district heating and thereby contribute to reduced support firing of oil in combined heat and power plants, which reduces greenhouse gas emissions.

Another project led by Hushållningssällskapet Skåne will use AI and the large amounts of data collected by modern agricultural equipment to optimize crop growth in agriculture in a way that is good for the climate, but also for agricultural productivity.

A third example is a project led by Umeå University that will support adaptation in terms of public health to infectious disease risks as a result of climate change. This is done by developing climate-based algorithms and decision-making tools, including for potential seasonal climate-sensitive patterns of covid-19.

The following project gets funding with a total of 50 million:

• Klimat-AI-Infektion-Anpassning (CLAIRE), Umeå University
• Agriculture and AI in the service of the climate, Hushållningssällskapen Service AB
• A smart digital platform for managing Cyanotoxin risk in drinking water supply (DiCyano), Lund University
• AI for sustainable food production from cultivation to fork, Mälardalen University
• AI-based image and text analysis through citizen sensing for improved warnings for extreme weather and its effects, Linköping University
• SnowSat-an AI strategy for efficient hydropower production, Uppsala University
• EnVisA - Energy visualization with artificial intelligence, Swerim AB
• Advanced modeling of cloud feedback and climate change with AI: Implications for alternative energy, Lund University

A new round of the AI announcement in the service of the climate is planned to open in 2021.