Can AI clean up one of the dirtiest corners of the corporate world?

DeepMind’s building control algorithms have continued to tweak dials inside Google’s data centers (pic). And Google has begun to offer a similar service to its cloud customers. But Phaidra’s founders say their approach is tailored to the particularities of the industrial sector, which is lightyears away from the sophistication of a Google building. — Google

Industrial production is one of the dirtiest corners of the corporate world. A startup from former Google engineers thinks it can clean it up with artificial intelligence.

Phaidra, a company based in Seattle, sells AI software to automate building controls for power plants and other industrial giants. It’s relying on the same fix as their former company, DeepMind, Google’s research lab. For several years, DeepMind has let its AI system manage the temperature controls inside Google data centers, ultimately shaving huge chunks off the company’s electricity bill.