Altman-Backed Startup Bets on Solar Energy, Heat to Reduce AI’s Carbon Impact

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Exowatt has come up with a unique solution to address the rising energy demands of data centers and abreast to it reduce the carbon footprint. The startup is based in Miami and backed by Sam Altman of OpenAI. It unveiled a modular system that combines solar energy collection with a thermal battery to provide clean and cost-effective energy. The innovative system is designed to generate, store and deliver either heat or electricity.

The unique solar energy collector uses lenses to capture sunlight and concentrate it to generate heat. The heat is thereafter stored in a thermal battery made from a clay-ceramic composite. It is a cost-effective material sourced from U.S. supply chains and has the ability to store energy for extended periods allows customers to dispatch electricity when other sources become more expensive. Exowatt has already secured a backlog of 1.2 gigawatts from major data center operators and renewable energy developers.

Exowatt co-founder Jack Abraham emphasized on the growing desperation of data center operators which are seeking affordable energy solutions. He said that if the price of the energy were three or four times higher, they would still have about the same number of customers. The first Exowatt-powered data center project is set to go live in West Texas later this year and it is to start with a large crypto-mining customer.

The approach is attracting attention as data centers are one of the fastest-growing sources of energy demand. Demand of renewable energy is increasing and Exowatt aims to help data centers to become self-sustaining as well as reducing reliance on fossil fuels.

However, the solution won’t work for every data center. Just 60% of U.S. data centers are located in areas with sufficient sunlight.

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