Innovation Challenge Focus Areas

1. Grid and Power: Innovations may include:

• Grid integration technologies enabling flexible, bi-directional power flows
• Onsite clean power generation and storage (long-duration, short-duration, hybrid systems)
• Advanced power electronics, UPS systems, or switchgear that increase efficiency
• Demand response and load-shifting solutions that reduce grid stress
• Tools that improve grid visibility, forecasting, or carbon-aware operations

2. Power for AI Scale Data Centers: Innovations may include:

• High-efficiency power architectures for GPU/accelerator clusters
• Advanced rectifiers, converters, or DC power systems
• Modular or prefabricated power systems for rapid, scalable deployment
• High-voltage distribution within the data center
• Solutions that support >100 MW facilities or that enable power-dense rack-level compute

3. Cooling and Thermal: Innovations may include:

• Liquid cooling (direct-to-chip, immersion, cold plates)
• Novel materials or heat exchangers
• Waste-heat recovery and reuse solutions
• AI-driven thermal management or dynamic optimization
• Water-free or ultra-low-water cooling technologies
• Advanced refrigerants or alternatives

4. Build and Ops: Innovations may include:

• Digital twins, automation, and predictive maintenance tools
• Sensors, controls, or monitoring systems for energy and carbon optimization
• AI-enabled facility operations or reliability management

5. Networking and IT: Innovations may include:

• Energy-efficient networking hardware and photonics
• Workload orchestration or scheduling optimized for energy and carbon
• AI/ML algorithms that reduce compute requirements or training cycles
• Server-level power management and efficiency improvements
• Tools for carbon-aware routing, storage, or data management
• Intelligent resource utilization software to reduce idle load