# AI scaling pathways: on grid, on edge, off grid, off planet

- Show: [Catalyst](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst)
- Published: 2026-03-12
- Length: 42m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2026-03-12-ai-scaling-pathways-on-grid-on-edge-off-grid-off-planet

## Summary

Jake Elder, Senior Vice President of Research and Innovation at Energy Impact Partners, joins host Shayle Kann to evaluate four pathways for scaling AI compute infrastructure: grid-connected, edge, off-grid, and orbital. They analyze the specific constraints of each, noting that grid-connected data centers face infinite transmission timelines, while off-grid solutions struggle with reliability and the complexity of building 'shock absorbers' for power quality. The discussion concludes with a 10-year forecast predicting that hyper-scale grid-connected facilities will remain dominant, though off-grid and orbital options may capture small but significant shares if demand scales massively.

## Chapters

- [0:07](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2026-03-12-ai-scaling-pathways-on-grid-on-edge-off-grid-off-planet#t=7) Introduction: Jake Elder and Energy Impact Partners
- [5:42](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2026-03-12-ai-scaling-pathways-on-grid-on-edge-off-grid-off-planet#t=342) Grid-Connected Constraints: Transmission, Power Quality, and Social License
- [11:20](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2026-03-12-ai-scaling-pathways-on-grid-on-edge-off-grid-off-planet#t=680) Edge Compute: Latency Red Herrings and Cost vs. Speed
- [18:53](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2026-03-12-ai-scaling-pathways-on-grid-on-edge-off-grid-off-planet#t=1133) Off-Grid Data Centers: Reliability, Shock Absorbers, and Supply Chains
- [29:30](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2026-03-12-ai-scaling-pathways-on-grid-on-edge-off-grid-off-planet#t=1770) Orbital Data Centers: Radiators, Debris, and Maintenance Challenges
- [36:43](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2026-03-12-ai-scaling-pathways-on-grid-on-edge-off-grid-off-planet#t=2203) Comparing Orbital vs. Off-Grid: Starship Launches vs. Turbine Supply Chains
- [39:33](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2026-03-12-ai-scaling-pathways-on-grid-on-edge-off-grid-off-planet#t=2373) 10-Year Forecast: The Split of the Global Compute Pie

## Topics

- [Energy & climate tech](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/energy-and-climate-tech)
- [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production)
- [Sourcing & supply chain](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/sourcing-and-supply-chain)
- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Energy Impact Partners (company)
- Stripe (company)
- Pace Microgrids (company)
- Waymo (company)
- ChatGPT (product)
- Gemini (product)
- AWS (company)
- Azure (company)
- Google (company)
- NVIDIA (company)
- Meta (company)
- SpaceX (company)
- Tesla (company)
- XAI (company)
- Starlink (product)
- Starship (product)
- Hilana (other)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Episode 75: The AI Big $$$ Question](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-circuit/2024-07-16-episode-75-the-ai-big-question) (The Circuit)
- [Scaling IoT for Enterprises | Ken Corless and Robert Schmid of Deloitte | E052 #IoTMakers](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/iot-for-all-podcast/2020-02-12-scaling-iot-for-enterprises-ken-corless-and-robert-schmid-of-deloitte-e052-iotma) (IoT For All Podcast)
- [Episode 65: Capex to the Moon!](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-circuit/2024-04-29-episode-65-capex-to-the-moon) (The Circuit)
- [EP 136: WE DON'T HAVE THE POWER!](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-circuit/2025-10-06-ep-136-we-dont-have-the-power) (The Circuit)
- [Ep. 27 | Two Google Senior VPs of Engineering: From Shipping Containers to Today's Data Centers](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2021-06-22-ep-27-two-google-senior-vps-of-engineering-from-shipping-containers-to-todays-da) (Moore's Lobby)

## Citing this page

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