‘Karnataka can lead in green AI with responsible energy use’: KDEM CEO

BENGALURU: Karnataka is well positioned to demonstrate a model for green artificial intelligence, but the rapid growth of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and data centre infrastructure must be balanced with responsible energy use and climate considerations, said Sanjeev Gupta, Chief Executive Officer, Karnataka Digital Economy Mission (KDEM), at the AI for Climate Tech Summit 2026 on Tuesday.

The summit, organised by Climate Collective Foundation as part of Bangalore Climate Data Week, examined how AI can deliver measurable climate benefits while accounting for its environmental footprint. Gupta highlighted that the state is well positioned to demonstrate a model for green AI as it is supported by its strong technology ecosystem and clean energy base. “We are always there to support such global initiatives which not only makes our ecosystem stronger domestically but also on the global innovation map,” Gupta added.

Discussions covered AI applications in weather and flood forecasting, energy optimisation, freight electrification, manufacturing, mobility, agriculture and urban resilience. Speakers stressed that solutions needed to move beyond experimentation and demonstrate operational value and measurable outcomes before they could be adopted at scale.

Jui Joshi, a member of CCF’s founding team, highlighted AI’s potential to strengthen climate resilience in agriculture and water security. She said founders needed ecosystem support beyond capital and pointed to CCF’s portfolio of 410 women-led startups.

Pratap Raju, founder of CCF, said sustainability was changing how businesses and communities managed their value chains. But climate tech adoption often involved lengthy testing, pilot projects and sales cycles as businesses assessed the benefits of new solutions.

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