New York – July 15, 2025 – The Ocean Cleanup, a non-profit focused on eliminating plastic pollution from oceans and rivers, has announced a partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS). This collaboration aims to utilize AWS's advanced artificial intelligence, machine learning, and cloud computing capabilities to aid in cleaning the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP) and achieve a 90% reduction in floating ocean plastic by 2040.
The Ocean Cleanup's research indicates that the GPGP is harming marine life and affecting the ocean’s ability to regulate climate. Extracting plastic debris is crucial for protecting ecosystems, preserving biodiversity, and preventing microplastics from entering the food chain.
Despite removing 64 million pounds of marine trash globally, The Ocean Cleanup faces challenges in locating dispersed plastic fragments. AWS's AI-powered detection systems and cloud infrastructure will enhance efforts by enabling precise tracking of plastic accumulation and predictive modeling of debris movement. This will optimize resource management and operational efficiency.
Dr. Werner Vogels, CTO of Amazon.com, stated: “Plastic pollution represents one of the most pressing environmental challenges of our time, and The Ocean Cleanup’s mission is vital for the health of our planet.”
The collaboration focuses on two key initiatives:
1. Developing an AI-Powered System for Enhanced Plastic Detection: This system will improve identification and prediction of ocean plastic accumulation. Initially targeting hotspot hunting capabilities in the GPGP, AWS will provide technologies such as IoT, satellite computing, drones, and flotation devices to track plastic more accurately.
2. Implementing Cloud-Based Infrastructure for Marine Life Protection: New AI-driven technologies will enhance marine life detection systems while reducing costs associated with Protected Species Observers.
Boyan Slat, CEO of The Ocean Cleanup said: “Our collaboration with AWS has the potential to deliver significant advancement in our capabilities."
The success of this partnership will be measured by the amount of plastic removed from oceans and rivers worldwide. By equipping The Ocean Cleanup with AWS’s technology solutions, cleanup operations are expected to become more efficient.
About The Ocean Cleanup
Founded in 2013 by Boyan Slat in Rotterdam, Netherlands, The Ocean Cleanup employs around 200 people working globally to stop river-based plastic inflow and remove legacy oceanic waste.
About Amazon Web Services
Since its inception in 2006 as part of Amazon.com Inc., AWS offers over 240 services across various domains like compute storage databases networking analytics AI IoT mobile security hybrid media application development deployment management among others supporting millions globally across sectors including startups enterprises government agencies seeking agility cost reduction via robust infrastructure solutions.