The Future of Energy is Forward
As the world accelerates efforts to tackle climate change, how do we reduce emissions without slowing progress? The answer lies in innovation.
From the invention of the plow to the rise of the steam engine and the creation of the solar panel, human progress has always been defined by the tools we build. Each major leap in technology has propelled us forward, unlocking new levels of productivity, prosperity, and possibility.
The challenges we’re solving for today are sustainable growth and a future where we reduce the greenhouse gases heating our planet while also ensuring reliable, affordable energy for everyone. This dual imperative — to protect the planet and power progress — demands a bold new era of innovation, with technology at its core. We can’t simply replace old systems with new ones. We must build on what already exists, leveraging the infrastructure and expertise we’ve accumulated, while also creating entirely new solutions that push beyond current limits.
Geothermal energy is a powerful example of what’s possible when advanced technologies are applied to unlock previously inaccessible resources. Unlike traditional geothermal, which is limited to naturally occurring hotspots, next-generation geothermal can use breakthroughs in drilling, materials science, and subsurface engineering to tap heat from virtually anywhere in Earth's crust. Next-generation geothermal systems dramatically expand the geographic potential and scalability of geothermal power, with generation potential sufficient to meet global electricity demand 140 times over (second only to solar among renewables). Unlocking this transformative potential will require targeted investment in early-stage startups and research to drive down costs and accelerate deployment beyond conventional geothermal regions.
Then there’s materials innovation, which implies reimagining the very substances we use to build our world. Cement alone accounts for 6% of global energy-related CO₂ emissions, 60% of which are process emissions that can’t be eliminated by switching to clean energy. This makes novel materials one of the most promising levers for decarbonization. Yet, despite its impact, the cement industry invested less than 1% of its revenue in R&D over the 15 years leading up to 2020, far below sectors like steel and automotive, which have comparable CO₂ profiles. We must prioritize the decarbonization of cement and steel by supporting innovators and initiatives building zero-carbon industrial supply chains.
Artificial Intelligence can play a transformative role here. Generative AI models can design materials that have never existed. Predictive models can accelerate discovery by learning from experimental data, as we’ve seen with breakthroughs like AlphaFold. AI can also mine the vast landscape of scientific literature to construct new bodies of knowledge and even run autonomous experiments that would take human researchers days or weeks.
This is what innovation looks like in real time: applying better science and smarter tools to solve real-world problems and unlock development, without the lasting emissions.
Why Early-Stage Investment Matters
While deployment of currently available clean technology (think solar, EVs, lithium-ion batteries) is essential and non-negotiable, reaching our decarbonization goals will also hinge on developing the next wave of breakthrough solutions. And innovation takes time. For clean technologies like solar panels and lithium-ion batteries, it took over 30 years from invention to first commercialization, and another 20 years to reach mass market scale. In today’s climate emergency, we simply don’t have that kind of time. We need new materials now, and AI is a potent accelerator.
Yet, many of the breakthroughs we need still don’t exist. In fact, the International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that over half of the emissions reductions needed to reach net-zero by 2050 must come from technologies currently in prototype or demonstration phases. Some are in labs, some are in the imaginations of young inventors, and many are in early-stage startups. Only 2.3% of energy startups today have an AI-related value proposition, far lower than life sciences (7%) or agriculture (4.3%). Clean energy is currently underutilizing AI’s potential, and this must change.
This is why early-stage R&D investment is essential. It’s not just about backing science. It’s about placing forward-looking bets on transformative ideas that can also remove greenhouse gases via solutions such as using air, ocean, rock formations, biomass and other nature based systems.
According to the IEA’s Energy and AI – Widespread Adoption Case, used responsibly, AI could generate energy savings of around 8% by 2035 in light industries like electronics and machinery manufacturing. In transport, AI could optimize vehicle operations and management to cut energy use by up to 20%. And in power generation, the use of AI in operations and maintenance could result in annual cost savings of up to USD $110 billion annually by 2035, through avoided fuel consumption and efficiency gains.
At the Bezos Earth Fund, we believe that AI can be a tool to help optimize energy systems, increase grid efficiency and improve forecasting, accelerating decarbonization across the board. AI is already playing a role in advancing renewable energy, but we can and must go further and faster. When used with purpose, AI has the power to supercharge our efforts — not only to protect the planet, but to reimagine what’s possible.
These innovations aren’t just about climate change. They can fuel new industries and design a world where climate resilience and inclusive economic opportunity are not in conflict but deeply intertwined. It’s time to move beyond outdated models and half-measures. We must invent, invest, and build the systems that will power a more sustainable future.