AI-powered photo editor Photoroom, which received $43 million in funding earlier this year, has partnered with Genesis Cloud to deliver more sustainable computing power to Photoroom users.
Genesis Cloud promises to improve the efficiency, accuracy, and operational performance of Photoroom’s image editing tools while also connecting the required data centers to renewable energy sources, rather than utilizing carbon offsetting programs.
“We are thrilled to partner with Photoroom, a leader in AI photo editing. This collaboration showcases the strength of Genesis Cloud’s high-performance cloud infrastructure in supporting advanced AI training workloads,” says Dr. Stefan Schiefer, CEO of Genesis Cloud.
According to Genesis Cloud, its data centers run entirely on green energy, which will help Photoroom avoid 1,300 tons of CO2 emissions per year compared to legacy data providers.
“It’s important to be honest about the fact that AI models burn a huge amount of energy, so we can tackle this issue head-on. One reason why we wanted to work with Genesis Cloud is that Photoroom believes we can positively impact the AI industry’s energy mix by choosing the right providers,” says Eliot Andres, Photoroom CTO.
“Partnering with Genesis Cloud has enabled us at Photoroom to achieve top performance in training our models and significantly enhance our computational capabilities,” Andres adds.
Photoroom has previously claimed that AI photo generation can reduce the carbon footprint of typical photo production, arguing that by enabling users to create the required images at their computer using AI, there is reduced need for travel.
“One of our Enterprise customers told us they used to travel to the Alps to take pictures of their products, but now they produce similar, high-quality mountain scenes in seconds using Photoroom. This change has significantly minimized their team’s carbon footprint, considering that the air travel industry is one of the biggest polluters on the planet,” Photoroom said in a blog post in April, adding that AI-driven photo creation is more efficient and sustainable.
That’s certainly not something some professional product photographers want to hear as they worry about how AI image generation will impact their job security and livelihoods. Nonetheless, it is a net positive for Photoroom to reduce its carbon footprint, as the platform is heavily used by many major brands, including Shopify, Netflix, Hennessy, and more.
Image credits: Photoroom and Genesis Cloud