• Emerald AI raised $150 million in an oversubscribed Series A at a $1.05 billion valuation, taking total funding above $220 million.
• Its software could unlock more than 100 GW of capacity on the existing U.S. grid by making AI data centers responsive to power system conditions.
• The company has moved from demonstrations to commercial deployment, with projects spanning utilities, AI companies and data center operators.

Emerald AI has raised $150 million to scale technology designed to turn power-hungry AI data centers into flexible assets for electricity grids.

The oversubscribed Series A valued the company at $1.05 billion. Energize Capital and DCVC co-led the round, which brings Emerald AI’s total funding to more than $220 million.

The financing comes as electricity availability becomes a critical constraint on AI infrastructure development. Data centers are projected to account for nearly half of U.S. electricity demand growth through 2030, according to the International Energy Agency.

Emerald AI argues that greater flexibility could allow grids to accommodate more computing capacity without waiting years for major transmission and generation projects.

“We founded Emerald AI on the conviction that the intelligence driving the AI revolution could solve its own greatest bottleneck: power,” said Emerald AI Founder and CEO Dr. Varun Sivaram.

Turning AI infrastructure into flexible demand

Emerald AI’s Conductor software coordinates AI computing workloads with onsite energy resources. It allows a data center to reduce or shift its electricity consumption when the grid faces stress.

The system is designed to make those adjustments without compromising critical computing workloads.

Emerald AI estimates that widespread adoption could unlock more than 100 GW of capacity on the existing U.S. power grid. That could give data center developers access to power years before new grid infrastructure becomes available.

“Our demonstrations around the world proved that data centers can adjust their power use precisely when the grid needs relief, without compromising critical computing workloads. Today that technology runs commercially at full data center scale, and this financing lets us take it everywhere AI is built, so the AI era can accelerate while the grid becomes more reliable and more affordable for the communities it serves,” said Sivaram.

Over the past year, Emerald AI completed five demonstrations at commercial data centers in Arizona, Illinois, Virginia, Oregon and London.

The company worked with NVIDIA, EPRI, Oracle, Nebius, National Grid and regional utilities and grid operators. It has since moved into commercial deployment at full data center scale.

Investors target AI’s electricity bottleneck

The funding round brings together investors from the technology, energy and infrastructure sectors. Emerald AI now counts 12 Fortune Global 500 companies among its investors.

“The binding constraint on AI is no longer chips or capital; it is power, and software is the fastest way through it. Emerald AI has converted world-class research into commercial deployments faster than any company we have seen in this category, and we are proud to co-lead this round as the team defines how AI infrastructure and the grid grow together,” said John Tough, Managing Partner at Energize Capital.

Investors include NVIDIA, Samsung Ventures, Siemens, Aramco Ventures, Salesforce Ventures, GE Vernova, RWE and JERA Ventures. Energy Impact Partners, Lowercarbon Capital and General Catalyst’s scout fund also participated.

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“Emerald AI’s compute workload orchestration platform makes flexibility a permanent feature of how data centers are powered. This turns data centers into grid-responsive assets instead of energy-hogging liabilities—increasing America’s strength in AI, decreasing rises in electrical bills for communities, and protecting the environment. This is deep tech at its best,” said Zachary Bogue, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, DCVC.

Grid access becomes a strategic asset

Emerald AI is also working directly with utilities on new approaches to data center interconnection.

The company partnered with Silicon Valley Power on a Flexible Load Interconnection Program. The model gives data centers expanded grid access in exchange for verified and dispatchable electricity flexibility.

In Manassas, Virginia, Emerald AI is working with Digital Realty and NVIDIA on the nearly 100 MW Vera Rubin AI Research Factory. The project is being developed as a power-flexible AI facility and is scheduled to come online later this year.

For executives and investors, the model shifts the data center power debate beyond procuring additional electricity. Flexible demand could become part of the infrastructure strategy itself.

That has implications for capital allocation, grid regulation and corporate climate plans. Faster interconnections could improve project economics, while verified flexibility could reduce pressure on local grids during periods of peak demand.

As governments compete for AI investment, electricity access is increasingly tied to industrial policy and community concerns over affordability. Technologies that allow data centers to operate within existing grid constraints could therefore influence where the next generation of AI infrastructure gets built.