Mission and objectivesThe UNDP Sustainable Energy Hub is a network of partners that work alongside countries to transform energy systems though an integrated agenda focused on the policy, technology and financial shifts that shape sustainable economic development. We help countries build net-zero, people-centered societies driven by a just, sustainable energy transition. Our core principle is to promote an integrated agenda that supports energy for development, including by mobilizing partners to enable 500 million additional people to have access to sustainable, reliable, affordable energy by 2025, leaving no-one behind. The global transformation of energy systems has already started, but is being altered by the current geopolitical context. However, this transformation must be accelerated, and it must be done in a way that advances the Sustainable Development Goals. The Sustainable Energy Hub is UNDPโs answer to these challenges. To drive the systems-level change needed, the Sustainable Energy Hub aims to bring about a completely new way of thinking, doing business, connecting people and knowledge. UNDPโs 2022-2025 Strategic Plan has put sustainable energy at the heart of a joint corporate mission, and UN-Energy has pledged to reaching key energy milestones by 2025. UNDP will focus efforts on mobilizing partners and catalzing action to provide access to sustainable, affordable, and reliable energy โ both electricity and clean cooking โ to 500 million people by 2025, focusing on the worldโs poorest communities. UNDP will not do this alone โ our role here is to mobilize strong, meaningful, impactful partnerships to deliver action on the ground. We aim to bring about a new way of thinking about energy and advocate for an integrated, inclusive approach, where all stakeholders participate meaningfully in its design.
ContextAI is increasingly being used to accelerate climate and energy transitions, from optimizing renewable systems and improving grid resilience to advancing carbon accounting, agriculture, and resource management. Yet, there is no comprehensive picture of where and how AI startups are developing green solutions, particularly in the Global South, where innovation potential is high but visibility and support remain limited. This project will build an open, structured database of AI startups applying AI to environmental, energy, and climate challenges. The database will document each startupโs location, founding year, problem focus, technology approach, and funding sources, with a particular emphasis on ventures emerging in Latin America, Africa, and Southeast Asia. The mapping will also examine the growing field of AI-for-energy-efficiency startups addressing the energy footprint of AI itself. This includes innovations in low-power hardware, efficient algorithms, and renewable-powered data centers. The mapping will highlight how early-stage AI markets in the Global South can adopt cleaner and more efficient digital pathways from the outset, avoiding the high-carbon trajectory observed in more mature markets.
Task DescriptionEach volunteer will be responsible for a set of 10-15 countries, conducting structured desk research to map relevant startups and entrepreneurial ventures. The research will cover AI-for-sustainability applications across energy, climate, and environmental domains, capturing standardized attributes such as country or region, sector, founding year, AI method or technology, customer segments, and funding or partnerships. Volunteers will also identify ventures focused on reducing the energy use and carbon emissions of AI systems, tracking solutions along the AI value chain, from clean power for data centers to software optimization that reduces model-training energy intensity. The mapping will note key barriers such as financing gaps, infrastructure limitations, and skills deficits that constrain the growth of green AI entrepreneurship in the Global South. The resulting open database will serve as a foundational resource for policymakers, investors, and innovation hubs to better understand where AI innovation is advancing environmental and energy sustainability, and where it is being held back. By providing the first repository of sustainable AI startups, this initiative will help design targeted interventions that foster sustainable digital transformation, energy innovation, and inclusive economic development. The final deliverable will be a completed spreadsheet according to the mapping methodology will all materials compiled for each identified startup within the designated countries.
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