Google DeepMind, the AI arm of Google, has selected 16 startups, nonprofits and research teams across the Asia-Pacific for the first cohort of an accelerator supporting environmental projects that use AI.
In a statement on Monday, Google said the three-month program, AI for the Planet, begins this week with an in-person bootcamp in Singapore, followed by virtual mentorship through December and a demonstration day.
Participants receive access to the company’s AI models, including specialized frontier systems, along with mentorship and technical support. The support is equity-free, with cloud credits for eligible projects. Teams will draw on Google models such as AnthroKrishi, ForestCast, AlphaEarth Foundations, SpeciesNet, and Perch.
The accelerator runs as a week-long in-person bootcamp of keynotes, workshops and diagnostic sessions, followed by three months of virtual mentorship under a dedicated relationship manager. It concludes with an in-person Demo Day at which teams present to mentors, investors and partners, Google said.
Six of the projects focus on protecting nature and building climate resilience. They include New Zealand’s 800 Trust, Listening Lab and Wildlife.ai, using bioacoustics and AI-powered cameras to monitor biodiversity; Singapore’s Kumi Analytics, combining remote sensing and deep learning to set conservation baselines; South Korea’s TelePIX, turning satellite data into mangrove monitoring; and Indonesia’s Yayasan Ekosistem Lestari, linking environmental degradation to disaster risk.
Five projects address sustainable agriculture. They are Indonesia’s Edufarmers, delivering pest, disease and weather guidance to smallholders through messaging apps; Thailand’s Living Roots, designing biological fertilisers; Singapore’s SIGMA, estimating crop yields from satellite data; India’s Terrastack, providing plot-level land intelligence for smallholders; and Australia’s X-Centric, replacing soil labs with portable, AI-enabled X-ray hardware.
The remaining five target climate and carbon solutions. They include Japan’s Archeda, verifying nature-based carbon credits from satellite data; Singapore’s City Syntax Lab, optimising energy and carbon across urban districts; and three Indian ventures — Climitra Carbon, converting invasive species into biochar; Farmers for Forests, using drones for agroforestry; and Varaha Climate, verifying regenerative farming for carbon credits.
The program is Google DeepMind’s first such accelerator in the region and part of a wider effort to apply AI to climate and nature. Google said graduating teams would join its accelerator alumni network.