Gridcare's approach involves analyzing various factors such as fiber optic availability, natural gas, and community sentiment, while ensuring compliance with federal guidelines. The company collaborates with data center developers to identify expansion opportunities and negotiate terms, which may include temporary reliance on backup power or supporting new grid-scale battery installations. Utilities have shown interest in auctioning access to this newfound capacity. Narayan believes Gridcare can unlock over 100 megawatts of capacity, offering a significant advantage without requiring groundbreaking technological breakthroughs.
Key takeaways:
- Hyperscalers and data center developers face challenges in obtaining grid connections due to long wait times, prompting them to consider building their own power sources.
- Gridcare, led by Amit Narayan, aims to identify untapped grid capacity and facilitate connections between data centers and utilities.
- Gridcare uses generative AI and other data to map the grid and forecast potential changes, considering factors like fiber optic availability and community sentiment.
- Gridcare charges data center developers a fee based on unlocked capacity and has the potential to unlock over 100 megawatts of capacity.