Ocean Cleanup, the non-profit organisation working to remove plastic from the world’s oceans, has announced a new partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to scale up plastic extraction using Artificial Intelligence (AI) and cloud technology.
The collaboration focuses on accelerating cleanup efforts in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, the most significant accumulation of floating plastic, and supporting Ocean Cleanup’s broader mission to remove 90 per cent of floating ocean plastic by 2040.
Sailors in the Pacific have also been asked to fit AI cameras and use GPS trackers to help map plastic. Ocean Cleanup currently has eight boats signed up in this project running from now (July 2025) until September 2025.
Boyan Slat, CEO and founder of Ocean Cleanup, comments: “Innovation and cutting-edge technology have always been at the heart of our approach to achieve our mission to rid the world’s ocean of plastic.
“Our collaboration with AWS has the potential to deliver significant advancement in our capabilities. With AWS’s technology, we can then better locate plastic hotspots, optimise our cleanup operations, and ensure we’re protecting marine ecosystems while removing harmful plastic debris to achieve our ultimate goal of a 90 per cent reduction in global ocean plastic pollution.”
The initiative comes as new research highlights the environmental risks posed by ocean plastic, including damage to marine ecosystems, biodiversity loss and the breakdown into microplastics. To date, Ocean Cleanup has removed 64 million pounds of plastic waste worldwide.
Under this partnership, AWS will supply AI-detection systems and cloud-based infrastructure to enhance the identification, tracking and prediction of plastic across vast ocean areas. The system will integrate data from satellites, drones, IoT devices and open-source models to enable real-time monitoring, guiding cleanup vessels toward high-density plastic zones.
Dr. Werner Vogels, CTO of Amazon.com, comments: “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.
“This collaboration demonstrates how advanced cloud computing and AI can serve as powerful tools for environmental stewardship, not only transforming oceanic data into actionable insights but also creating a blueprint for how technology can address critical environmental challenges across the globe.”
The partnership will also enhance marine life protection systems through AI-driven monitoring tools, reducing the reliance on manual observations and allowing more resources to be directed at cleanup operations.
Images courtesy of Ocean Cleanup.
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