Google is using its DeepMind artificial intelligence to use to combat the coronavirus or COVID-19. With the coronavirus still spreading slowly but surely and no cure is yet to be seen, is there any hope that this AI might be able to help find the cure? Read More: READ! Coronavirus Has Two Strains Which Will Make it Even More Difficult to Contain Since The Other Half Doesn't Know They Are Infected Until It's Too Late A post that was published Thursday, DeepMind is now using its AlphaFold system to create "structure predictions of several under-studied proteins associated with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19." The predictions, however, have not been experimentally verified, but DeepMind is confident that the data will be useful to the scientists who have a better understanding of the novel coronavirus that it will be of use to them. DeepMind stated that understanding a protein's structure usually takes months or even longer.

Google's AlphaGo beats Lee Sedol at the game of Go In 2016, major automakers like Tesla and Ford announced timelines for releasing fully-autonomous vehicles. DeepMind's AlphaGo, Google's AI system, beat the world champ Lee Sedol at one of the most complex board games in history. And other major advancements in AI have had big implications in healthcare, with some systems proving more effective in detecting cancer than human doctors. Want to learn what other cool things AI did in 2016? Here are TechRepublic's top picks.

The amount of energy consumed by big data centers has always been a headache for tech companies. Keeping the servers cool as they crunch numbers is such a challenge that Facebook even built one of its facilities on the edge of the Arctic Circle. Well, Google has a different solution to this problem: putting its DeepMind artificial intelligence unit in charge and using AI to manage power usage in parts of its data centers. A 40 percent reduction in the amount of electricity needed for cooling, which Google describes as a "phenomenal step forward." After accounting for "electrical losses and other non-cooling inefficiencies," this 40 percent reduction translated into a 15 percent reduction in overall power saving, says Google.

The amount of energy consumed by big data centers has always been a headache for tech companies. Keeping the servers cool as they crunch numbers is such a challenge that Facebook even built one of its facilities on the edge of the Arctic Circle. Well, Google has a different solution to this problem: putting its DeepMind artificial intelligence unit in charge and using AI to manage power usage in parts of its data centers. A 40 percent reduction in the amount of electricity needed for cooling, which Google describes as a "phenomenal step forward." After accounting for "electrical losses and other non-cooling inefficiencies," this 40 percent reduction translated into a 15 percent reduction in overall power saving, says Google.