[Edaily Reporter Kim Hyun-ah ] As artificial intelligence (AI) emerges as a new tool for addressing climate change, there are growing calls to consider climate and energy issues together, given that AI itself requires enormous amounts of electricity.

While AI can be used to analyze climate data to reduce carbon emissions and optimize energy use, the amount of electricity consumed by the data centers that power AI services is also rising rapidly.

It was with this awareness in mind that the Kakao Impact Foundation brought together experts in climate tech, AI, and energy in Jeju.

The Kakao Impact Foundation announced on the 14th that it held the “Climate Tech Startup Summit 2026” in Jeju from the 10th to the 12th. Held under the theme “AI Driving Climate, Energy Driving AI,” the event drew approximately 150 participants, including climate tech startups, as well as representatives from the investment and finance sectors, government and public institutions, corporations, and research and academic circles.

Attendees included Kim Sung-hwan, Minister of Climate, Energy, and Environment; Ha Jung-woo, Executive Vice Chair of the National AI Strategy Committee; Wi Seong-gon, Governor of Jeju Special Self-Governing Province; National Assembly members Park Ji-hye and Lee Hak-young; and Bae Choong-sik, President of KAIST.

AI Is Changing the Way We Address Climate Change

On the first day, Jeon Hae-won, Associate Professor at the KAIST Graduate School of Green Growth and Sustainability, and Ha Jung-woo, Executive Vice Chair of the National AI Strategy Committee, delivered presentations on the themes “AI Driving Climate Action” and “Energy Powering AI,” respectively.

Professor Jeon highlighted changes in climate policy analysis and decision-making driven by AI, while Vice Chairman Ha addressed the increasing power demand for data centers and the challenge of securing computational resources resulting from the widespread adoption of AI.

Ultimately, the challenge for climate tech goes beyond simply utilizing AI. For AI to contribute to solving climate problems, the electricity that powers it must also be sustainable.

Based on this awareness, the summit featured discussions on climate tech startups’ technologies and investments, the energy transition, global case studies, and climate AI. In collaboration with the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, the Korea Startup Promotion Agency, and KAIST, the summit also hosted the final presentations and awards ceremony for the Climate Tech Startup Challenge.

Launch of “Korea Climate Week” to Foster the Climate Tech Ecosystem

Another highlight of this year’s event was

the launch of

“Korea Climate Week.”

Eleven organizations from the private sector, government, and academia—including the Kakao Impact Foundation, Sopung Ventures, the Asan Nanum Foundation, D.Camp, and Climate Solutions—jointly declared the launch of Korea Climate Week at this summit.

Korea Climate Week is a platform for collaboration aimed at finding solutions to climate issues and connecting domestic climate-tech companies and technologies with the global ecosystem. The participating organizations plan to expand cooperation among capital, corporations, policymakers, and research institutions—with a focus on startups—and support the commercialization and global expansion of climate-tech.

The first event is scheduled to take place in September 2027.

Minister Kim Seong-hwan stated, “It is time for Korea to take the lead in solving the climate crisis, a global challenge,” adding that the government will lay the groundwork to enable climate-tech startups to expand their technologies onto the global stage.

Han Sang-yeop, CEO of Soopung Ventures, assessed that “climate tech has grown beyond the stage of proving its potential and has now reached a stage where capital, policy, and industry are moving in unison.”

The Kakao Impact Foundation has been expanding its network of startups, investors, and government and policy experts through the Climate Tech Startup Summit, which began in 2022. Over the past five years, approximately 580 participants from some 420 organizations have attended, and last year, the summit expanded its scope to include global cooperation in conjunction with the APEC Ministerial Meeting on SMEs.

Kakao(035720) It is also expanding its use of renewable energy with the goal of achieving net-zero by 2040. The Kakao Jeju Office, where this summit was held, has been operating on 100% renewable energy since 2022.

For AI to become a technology that solves climate issues, the energy challenges associated with AI must also be addressed. This is why the climate, AI, and energy sectors were brought together at this Jeju Summit.