# Powering the AI Era Sustainably: Breakthrough Climate Hardware Tech from 8 Innovators

- Show: [Hardware to Save a Planet](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hardware-to-save-a-planet)
- Published: 2025-12-04
- Length: 31m
- Episode: 92
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hardware-to-save-a-planet/2025-12-04-powering-the-ai-era-sustainably-breakthrough-climate-hardware-tech-from-8-innova
- Listen: https://podcasts.fame.so/e/xnvl52jn-powering-the-ai-era-sustainably-breakthrough-climate-hardware-tech-from-8-innovators

## Summary

Host Dylan Garrett presents a year-end recap of eight innovators building climate hardware to support the massive energy demands of AI data centers. The episode features insights from Arch Rao of Span on managing grid capacity, Anders Kousgaard of Blue World Technologies on hydrogen fuel cell complexity, and Ina Braverman of Eco Wave Power on harvesting ocean wave energy. It also covers Ted McElveen of Vern on replacing diesel backup generators with hydrogen, Holly Jane of Antora Energy on thermal batteries, Curtis Van Wallahim of HydroStore on compressed air storage, Sandeep Nijwan of Electra on low-carbon iron, and Greg Williams of Sublime Systems on decarbonized cement.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hardware-to-save-a-planet/2025-12-04-powering-the-ai-era-sustainably-breakthrough-climate-hardware-tech-from-8-innova#t=0) Introduction: AI's Energy Demand and Grid Challenges
- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hardware-to-save-a-planet/2025-12-04-powering-the-ai-era-sustainably-breakthrough-climate-hardware-tech-from-8-innova#t=0) Arch Rao and Span: Digital Load Management for the Grid
- [4:36](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hardware-to-save-a-planet/2025-12-04-powering-the-ai-era-sustainably-breakthrough-climate-hardware-tech-from-8-innova#t=276) Anders Kousgaard and Blue World: Hydrogen Fuel Cell Complexity
- [8:11](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hardware-to-save-a-planet/2025-12-04-powering-the-ai-era-sustainably-breakthrough-climate-hardware-tech-from-8-innova#t=491) Ina Braverman and Eco Wave Power: Ocean Wave Energy
- [10:37](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hardware-to-save-a-planet/2025-12-04-powering-the-ai-era-sustainably-breakthrough-climate-hardware-tech-from-8-innova#t=637) Ted McElveen and Vern: Hydrogen Backup Power for Data Centers
- [14:42](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hardware-to-save-a-planet/2025-12-04-powering-the-ai-era-sustainably-breakthrough-climate-hardware-tech-from-8-innova#t=882) Holly Jane and Antora Energy: Thermal Battery Charge/Discharge Ratios
- [17:24](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hardware-to-save-a-planet/2025-12-04-powering-the-ai-era-sustainably-breakthrough-climate-hardware-tech-from-8-innova#t=1044) Curtis Van Wallahim and HydroStore: Compressed Air Storage and Inertia
- [21:02](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hardware-to-save-a-planet/2025-12-04-powering-the-ai-era-sustainably-breakthrough-climate-hardware-tech-from-8-innova#t=1262) Sandeep Nijwan and Electra: Low-Carbon Iron Production
- [27:01](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hardware-to-save-a-planet/2025-12-04-powering-the-ai-era-sustainably-breakthrough-climate-hardware-tech-from-8-innova#t=1621) Greg Williams and Sublime Systems: Decarbonizing Cement

## Topics

- [Energy & climate tech](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/energy-and-climate-tech)
- [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production)
- [Materials & manufacturing processes](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/materials-and-processes)
- [Batteries & low-power design](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/batteries-and-low-power)

## Most relevant to

companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- Span (company)
- Blue World Technologies (company)
- Eco Wave Power (company)
- Vern (company)
- Antora Energy (company)
- HydroStore (company)
- Electra (company)
- Sublime Systems (company)
- Newcore (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Frontier Forum: The new power map for AI infrastructure](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2025-10-21-frontier-forum-the-new-power-map-for-ai-infrastructure) (Catalyst)
- [Frontier Forum: An energy-first approach to data centers](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2024-10-22-frontier-forum-an-energy-first-approach-to-data-centers) (Catalyst)
- [Building inference data centers on the high seas](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2026-05-28-building-inference-data-centers-on-the-high-seas) (Catalyst)
- [Four ways to store sunlight](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2023-05-25-four-ways-to-store-sunlight) (Catalyst)
- [How to Save a Planet: Spark Tank! How Do We Solve the Energy Storage Problem?](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2022-07-01-how-to-save-a-planet-spark-tank-how-do-we-solve-the-energy-storage-problem) (Catalyst)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hardware-to-save-a-planet/2025-12-04-powering-the-ai-era-sustainably-breakthrough-climate-hardware-tech-from-8-innova. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to Hardware to Save a Planet.