Google may be behind on climate goals, but that's not stopping the tech giant from building new AI-focused data centers in fossil fuel-dependent Saudi Arabia.
The new AI hub will support research into Arabic language AI models and “Saudi-specific AI applications,” the Saudi Public Investment Fund and Google said in an announcement. State oil company Aramco said it is now using AI across its operations. In one oil field, this technology increased production by 15%.
Google announced in 2020 that it would stop developing algorithms for oil and gas production, and in 2021 pledged to cut emissions in half by the end of 2020. A Google spokesperson told E&E News that the new agreement is “consistent” with existing commitments.
Neither Google nor the Saudi Public Investment Fund have said what a “Saudi-specific AI application” would look like. However, given the central role of fossil fuels in the Saudi economy, AI algorithms running from data centers could be applied to oil and gas production.