We've all seen the headlines about AI data centers using up grid capacity and raising power prices. What you may not know is that AI can also find more power and help lower consumer bills.

In this video we profile a startup called GridCARE, which is using AI tools and software to unlock more existing electricity for utilities and power grids. CEO Amit Narayan shares how this technology located 400 megawatts of capacity in one of the nation's busiest data center markets, enabling enough power for 5 new data center projects.

What's even better is that if a utility can serve more data centers without having to build new transmission lines, it can actually lower power bills for consumers, and utilities can use the savings to improve their infrastructure.

Yes, AI data centers use a lot of power. But there's much more to the story. Here's an overview of my conversation with GridCARE's Amit Narayan.

00:00 - Same Grid, Only With More Capacity

01:50 - Amit Narayan's Entrepreneurial Journey

05:30 - How GridCARE Works with Utilities and Data Centers

10:20 - Managing Peaks to Unlock Power

15:00 - Grid Optimization and Site Selection

17:45 - Finding 400 Megawatts for PGE in Oregon

24:00 - The Road Ahead: A Grid-Optimized Future

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At Data Center Richness we demystify technology and explain why data centers matter, and what comes next for the Internet, cloud computing and AI. Host Rich Miller is a journalist and analyst who has been covering the data center sector for 25 years.

Subscribe to our channel for more insights:
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NOW ON SUBSTACK!

Check out the Data Center Richness Substack:
https://datacenterrichness.substack.com/

On the Web:
Data Center Richness
https://datacenterpodcast.com/

LINKS FROM THIS SHOW

GridCARE
https://www.gridcare.ai/

PGE and GridCARE Accelerate Hundreds of Megawatts of Data Center Power
https://www.gridcare.ai/post/pge-and-gridcare-accelerate-hundreds-of-megawatts

Amu Narayan on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/amitnarayan/

Rich Miller on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/datacenterfrontier/

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Fixing the AI Power Grid
https://youtu.be/uwNa5dZfo90?si=DrOgnZv6ymKUHzd-

The Solar Startup Aiming to Transform Data Centers
https://youtu.be/KPdI5OW-TUw?si=8a10IaGZGQAcbWEF

Data Centers in Space?
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All video by Data Center Richness.

Supplemental music via Epidemic Sound https://share.epidemicsound.com/60o8qx

These are boom times for conferences about data centers and AI. In a time of Big, Fast, Change, industry events provide essential education and networking for the many folks who are new to the data center sector.

One of the largest events on the conference schedule is Data Center World, which gets underway next week in Washington, D.C. We sat down with Bill Kleyman, the Executive Chairman of Data Center World, to talk about the growth of conferences, and their important role in the industry.

Bill has LOTS to share about the scope and agenda for Data Center World, and shares highlights from the AFCOM State of the Data Center Report. Bill is an old friend and colleague, and you'll appreciate the energy and insight he brings to our discussion.

Here's an overview of my talk with Bill Kleyman:

00:00 - The Data Center Conference Boom

02:25 - Meet Bill Kleyman, Data Center World Goes Global

08:30 - Building an Event Agenda Amid a Firehose of Change

12:00 - The State of the Data Center 2026 Report Highlights

22:00 - Rich's Take on the Report's Top Trends

28:30 - Hot Sessions for DCW Attendees

32:20 - A New Era for Data Center Security Concerns

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At Data Center Richness we demystify technology and explain why data centers matter, and what comes next for the Internet, cloud computing and AI. Host Rich Miller is a journalist and analyst who has been covering the data center sector for 25 years.

Subscribe to our channel for more insights:
https://www.youtube.com/@DataCenterRichness?sub_confirmation=1

NOW ON SUBSTACK!

Check out the Data Center Richness Substack:
https://datacenterrichness.substack.com/

On the Web:
Data Center Richness
https://datacenterpodcast.com/

LINKS FROM THIS SHOW

Data Center World 2026
https://datacenterworld.com/

The New Front Line: Securing Data Centers in the AI Era
https://www.datacenterknowledge.com/security-and-risk-management/the-new-front-line-securing-data-centers-in-the-ai-era

State of the Data Center 2026 Executive Summary https://afcom.com/news/720973/WHITEPAPER--State-of-the-Data-Center-2026-Executive-Summary.htm

Apolo - Bill's day job ... he is the CEO
https://www.apolo.us/

Bill Kleyman on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/billkleyman/

Rich Miller on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/datacenterfrontier/

RELATED VIDEOS:

Power, Bravery and Nuclear Data Centers
https://youtu.be/STr3FHuBhok?si=XBJLbKW3BkfCqNG5

Why AI Will be a Paradigm Shift for Tech
https://youtu.be/u-Lv9MwS7x8?si=2O0qDYz_Fc4XVJGi

All video by Data Center Richness.

Supplemental music via Epidemic Sound https://share.epidemicsound.com/60o8qx

Let's talk about solar-powered data centers. A lot of the recent discussion of data center power has focused on strategies supported by natural gas, or perhaps small modular nuclear reactors.

But what about renewable energy?

Today my guest is Nic Bustamante, who has held data center leadership positions at several hyperscale players. Nic is the Chief Data Center Officer at ExoWatt, a renewable energy company with an innovative approach to delivering clean power around the clock for data center campuses. It combines several existing technologies - thermal solar, Fresnel concentrating lenses, and the Stirling engine - to create a module that provides solar power and energy storage without lithium batteries.

We talk about the current state of data center energy, ExoWatt's thermal solar technology, and the opportunity for solar in the AI boom. Here's an overview of our conversation:

00:00 - The Solar Opportunity for AI Data Centers

01:20 - Nic Bustamente and his Data Center Journey

03:15 - A Box of Hot Rocks: What's Different About ExoWatt?

09:30 - How Much Land Does Solar Need (at AI Scale)

18:00 - The Geography of Solar Data Centers

25:00 - Community Relations and Solar

32:00 - How Inference Could Shape Solar Deployments

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At Data Center Richness we demystify technology and explain why data centers matter, and what comes next for the Internet, cloud computing and AI. Host Rich Miller is a journalist and analyst who has been covering the data center sector for 25 years.

Subscribe to our channel for more insights:
https://www.youtube.com/@DataCenterRichness?sub_confirmation=1

NOW ON SUBSTACK!

Check out the Data Center Richness Substack:
https://datacenterrichness.substack.com/

On the Web:
Data Center Richness
https://datacenterpodcast.com/

LINKS FROM THIS SHOW

Exowatt
https://www.exowatt.com/

ExoRise Powered Land
https://www.exowatt.com/exorise

Nic Bustamante on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nbustamante/

Rich Miller on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/datacenterfrontier/

RELATED VIDEOS:

Why AI Data Centers Are Building Their Own Power
https://youtu.be/Yx7QGNQsJaQ?si=5KI-IgaaZU7GAtwL

Decoding Data Center Power (Dan Crosby)
https://youtu.be/GJiBqvUl5rU?si=OP8wPhevaZnyY8xL

Why Data Centers Are Turning to Bloom Energy
https://youtu.be/Z-udNWq2bAg?si=E1a0OPEgdM9Dz_jT

All video by Data Center Richness.

Supplemental music via Epidemic Sound https://share.epidemicsound.com/60o8qx