Türkiye launches AI initiative ahead of COP31 climate summit

NEW YORK: Türkiye, which will host the COP31 climate summit in Antalya in November, launched a push on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on Monday (Sep 21) to address AI's skyrocketing energy demand through a political pledge that countries would adopt to align their AI infrastructure build-out with global climate goals.

The new Antalya Pledge on Artificial Intelligence is being developed with the UN’s International Telecommunication Union, and a draft will be shared ahead of COP31, the incoming Turkish COP presidency said.

“We must openly discuss AI’s growing energy consumption and it is time for governments to start setting the terms. We expect companies to be transparent about their energy use and to power their operations with clean energy,” said COP31 President-Designate Murat Kurum, Türkiye's Minister for Environment and Urban Planning.

Türkiye also formally launched its flagship initiative ahead of the annual UN climate summit, a push for a global pledge to increase electricity’s share of final energy consumption to 35 per cent by 2035, which will include efforts to electrify buildings, transport and industry.

The 35x35 initiative aims to encourage countries to use clean power, storage and modernise grids and support developing countries as they shift away from fossil fuels.

Currently, around 20 per cent of the world's total energy demand is met by electricity. The rest comes mostly from fossil fuels, plus around 10 per cent produced by biofuels and waste.

The voluntary pledge would also include a global mechanism to track collective progress on electrification.

Türkiye said the COP will have a day dedicated to technology and AI, and will launch an initiative to develop "a portfolio of AI-enabled clean-technology pilots" that will connect technology developers, industry partners and investors in cars and heat pumps.