GridFree AI, a company incubated by Montauk Climate, emerged with a novel end-to-end data center infrastructure solution that dramatically reduces development timelines. And the company announced it has raised $5 million in funding led by Giant Ventures, with participation from Amplo. GridFree AI is headed by a former BP executive and a senior global leader from Microsoft.
At the core of GridFree AI’s innovation is the Power Foundry platform, which integrates grid-independent power, battery storage, and cooling with data center infrastructure. And this approach facilitates the rapid global expansion of AI and cloud computing systems, enabling the deployment of computing resources in previously inaccessible locations. The initial selected sites are based in jurisdictions with favorable regulations, abundant natural gas, land, and fiber, all within proximity to carbon storage infrastructure to support net-zero operations.
GridFree AI’s team of seasoned experts integrates industry modularization into their engineered solutions, enabling flexible deployment strategies on land or sea. Each installation generates operational data that feeds into the company’s optimization systems, creating a network effect that continuously enhances platform performance. And real-time optimization across deployments further improves efficiency, differentiating GridFree AI from conventional solutions.
Company founders: GridFree AI was cofounded by Patrick Yantz (a former Global Edge Operations leader at Microsoft with over 25 years of hands-on experience in building, operating, and evolving hyperscale and modular data center infrastructure) and Ralph Alexander (former Chairman and CEO of Talen Energy and former CEO of BP’s Global Gas, Power, and Renewables unit). The entire leadership team brings together unique expertise in energy systems integration and computing infrastructure, harnessing cross-disciplinary expertise to transform innovative concepts into practical and scalable solutions designed for the AI era.
Power Foundry Platform Advantages: The Power Foundry platform accelerates compute revenue by 3-5 years compared to the grid. And the platform was designed to deliver grid-independent computing infrastructure by converting natural gas into electricity and cooling with upwards of 90% efficiency, surpassing 36% from the grid. Unlike the grid, Power Foundry offers constant power, simplifying the building and maintenance of data centers and resulting in a 1/3 reduction in CAPEX and OPEX through the elimination of legacy infrastructure. The efficiency of the overall solution enables a 50% increase in available power for IT loads, allowing for the deployment of additional computing capacity and increasing the revenue potential of each data center. The platform is designed for flexibility, supporting both greenfield sites and expansions in areas with unreliable grid access. It is engineered for future integration with next-generation energy sources such as Small Modular Reactors (SMRs).
KEY QUOTES:
“Our team unites the strengths of critical industries striving to address AI growth challenges to provide the comprehensive solutions our customers need. Our Power Foundry brings proven power and cooling industrialization and scale to the data center industry with unparalleled efficiency while maintaining familiar reliability and resiliency. This marks a new era for computing infrastructure, and we’re proud to lead the way.”
Patrick Yantz
“GridFree AI enables the century’s two great megatrends – AI and energy efficiency. US energy demand is surging for the first time in two decades. We urgently need energy efficient data centers that can roll out radically faster if the West is to win in the AI era. That’s why we’ve backed this uniquely experienced founding team.”
Tommy Stadlen, Founding Partner at Giant Ventures
“At Montauk Climate, we recognize that the race to scale AI is ultimately a race to deliver the energy and infrastructure that powers it. We supported GridFree AI because their breakthrough platform combining advanced energy technologies with rapid, modular deployment meets the unprecedented demand for computing capacity. By uniting proven leaders from technology and energy, GridFree AI is uniquely positioned to deliver pragmatic, scalable solutions that enable AI’s growth.”
Philip Krim, Co-Founder and CEO of Montauk Climate
