How AI and New Lithium Technologies Could Help Address Climate Challenges

Climate change innovator Jae-Won Chung has developed software designed to make artificial intelligence more energy efficient. He hopes open-source models that measure energy demand will help the industry better understand and address AI’s environmental impact. This research builds on our previous coverage of AI’s energy demands.

How AI Is Improving Climate and Pollution Research

AI also has the potential to improve several areas of scientific research. Jing Wei is using artificial intelligence to track pollution more effectively by applying machine learning to fill gaps in data from sources such as satellites and weather stations.

Zhonghua Zheng has developed an AI climate model designed for cities that have known blind spots in traditional climate models.

We Need Better Ways to Source the Critical Materials Behind New Technologies

As society becomes more reliant on technologies that power the modern world, the materials needed to build them will also change significantly.

Lithium is a prime example. The metal powers lithium-ion batteries, which are essential for electric vehicles and large-scale energy storage on the power grid. The prospect of lithium shortages, along with shortages of other important minerals, could affect supply as early as this decade. Copper is another mineral that should be closely monitored.

Salt water is currently the cheapest source of lithium, but extracting the metal can take months and may harm the local environment. Mohammad Alkhadra, co-founder and CEO of Lithios, is working to extract lithium from salt water more quickly and efficiently.

Hard-rock ores are the most common source of lithium, but extracting lithium from them is more expensive than using salt water. Benjamin Mowbray, co-founder and CTO of Rock Zero, is developing methods to extract lithium from hard-rock ores.