MIT Technology Review just dropped its latest list of 35 innovators under 35, and the climate tech cohort tells a specific story about where the industry is heading. Nine individuals made the cut in the energy and climate category, signaling a shift from pure hardware to smart integration. What stands out isn’t just the variety of problems being solved, but how artificial intelligence threads through nearly every solution. It is no longer a separate silo; it is the engine room for efficiency.
Jae-Won Chung is building software to measure the energy demands of open-source AI models, aiming to curb the sector’s growing carbon footprint. Meanwhile, Jing Wei uses machine learning to patch gaps in pollution data from satellites, and Zhonghua Zheng develops urban-specific climate models that traditional systems miss. These aren’t just theoretical exercises. They address the immediate friction between rapid AI adoption and environmental sustainability. If we can’t make compute efficient, the green transition stalls under its own weight.
The material bottleneck is equally urgent. Lithium shortages loom this decade, threatening both electric vehicles and grid storage. Mohammad Alkhadra’s startup, Lithios, targets fast extraction from brine, while Benjamin Mowbray’s Rock Zero focuses on hardrock ore. Both aim to bypass the months-long, environmentally taxing processes currently in use. This race for critical minerals defines the next phase of clean energy deployment. Without secure supply chains for copper and lithium, the hardware simply doesn’t get built.
Beyond batteries and bits, heavy industry gets a makeover. Laureen Meroueh is simplifying steel production to cut emissions in a sector responsible for 7% of global greenhouse gases. Joseph Nguthiru turns invasive weeds into bioplastic packaging, and Jinyoung Seo develops solid refrigerants that could slash energy use by 20%. These solutions prove that decarbonization requires rethinking everything from fish food to furnace chemistry. The real test now is scaling these niche breakthroughs before the 2030 deadlines hit.
