September 15, 2026
New report identifies 60 leading ventures applying AI to energy, agriculture, infrastructure, mobility, industrial innovation, and resource systems as global investment in cleanAI surpasses US$100 billion
Toronto, Canada (September 15, 2026) — The CleanAI Initiative today released the 2026 CleanAI 60, its annual report identifying 60 companies at the forefront of applying artificial intelligence to the world's physical systems, including energy, food, water, infrastructure, transportation, manufacturing, and natural resources. The report highlights how AI is increasingly moving beyond digital productivity applications and becoming a critical technology for improving the efficiency, resilience, security, and sustainability of the physical economy.
The report arrives amid unprecedented growth in the sector. According to the CleanAI Initiative's research, venture capital investment in cleanAI companies has accelerated rapidly in recent years, exceeding US$100 billion cumulatively since 2020 and reaching record levels in 2025 and 2026. The CleanAI Initiative now tracks more than 1,700 ventures globally operating at the intersection of AI and the clean economy.
"AI's most significant long-term impact may not be measured by what happens on our screens, but by what happens across the physical systems that power, feed, move, and sustain society," said Emily MacIntosh, Director of Knowledge at the CleanAI Initiative. "This year's CleanAI 60 reflects a market that is maturing rapidly. We're seeing AI move deeper into industrial operations, infrastructure, and scientific discovery, where it is helping address some of the world's most pressing challenges while creating significant economic opportunities."
The 2026 report identifies a broad set of companies across seven CleanAI sectors:
One of the report's key findings is the emergence of AI Infrastructure as a distinct and rapidly growing category. As demand for AI computing continues to surge, new ventures are focused on improving the efficiency of the systems that power AI itself, including data centres, cooling technologies, grid infrastructure, chips, edge computing, and AI model optimization. The report notes that infrastructure constraints around energy, water, compute capacity, and hardware are increasingly becoming central to AI's future growth.
The report also highlights the growing strategic importance of what the CleanAI Initiative describes as the "Four S's" driving cleanAI adoption: Safety, Sovereignty, Sustainability, and Security. Across sectors, cleanAI companies are helping strengthen critical infrastructure resilience, improve resource productivity, enhance operational reliability, and support economic competitiveness while advancing the transition to a cleaner economy.
"The companies featured in this year's report demonstrate that cleanAI is no longer a niche market," said Shivani Chotalia, Founding Partner of the CleanAI Initiative. "From autonomous laboratories accelerating scientific discovery to AI-powered energy systems, precision agriculture, advanced recycling infrastructure, and next-generation transportation networks, we are seeing AI create measurable value in the real economy. The breadth of innovation emerging across these sectors signals a major market opportunity in the years ahead."
The CleanAI 60 is not intended as a ranking, but rather as a directional snapshot of a rapidly evolving ecosystem. Companies were selected from a global universe of more than 1,700 ventures based on their use of AI, relevance to the clean economy transition, evidence of commercial traction, technological differentiation, and market potential.
The report also finds growing evidence of market maturity, including larger funding rounds, commercial deployments, strategic partnerships, IPOs, and acquisitions. These developments suggest AI is becoming increasingly embedded in the systems and industries that underpin the global economy.
The complete 2026 CleanAI 60 report is available here. Members of the CleanAI Network receive access to additional research, market intelligence, and industry programming throughout the year.
The CleanAI 60 companies will be recognized and celebrated at the Global CleanAI Summit on November 4, 2026, in Toronto, where innovators, investors, and corporate leaders will gather to explore the age of physical AI. Learn more at www.cleanai.com/cleanai-summit.
About the CleanAI Initiative
The CleanAI Initiative is building the operating system to accelerate AI's move to a clean physical economy. We publish the research, convene the leaders, and connect the investors and founders defining this market.
Learn more at www.cleanai.com.
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