Saudi Aramco taps Alphabet spinoff SandboxAQ for AI collaboration

By Christine Burke and Anthony Di Paola

 

Saudi Aramco signed a deal with SandboxAQ, a startup spun off from Alphabet Inc., to use artificial intelligence to turn carbon emissions into useful products.

 

“We want to up-value and convert to more marketable products low-value fuels and CO2 emissions,” SandboxAQ Chief Executive Officer Jack Hidary said in an interview from Davos, Switzerland. “That will help give Aramco more revenue and keep carbon out of the atmosphere.” He didn’t detail the terms of the deal.

 

As investments flow into industrial projects around the world to capture carbon emissions, companies are investigating different uses for the trapped CO2, ranging from jet fuel to building materials. AI is at the forefront of these efforts to transform the pollutant into products for sale.

 

State-backed Aramco has already been investing in AI through units such as Aramco Digital, with a focus on its main energy business. Its Wa’ed Ventures arm has also earmarked $100 million to invest in early-stage AI firms as Saudi Arabia seeks to become a more competitive force in the global industry.

 

Aramco didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on the SandboxAQ tie-up.