Energy leaders argue AI demand can speed US grid upgrades at Disrupt

AI’s growing electricity needs are straining the US grid. At TechCrunch Disrupt earlier this month, three energy-sector leaders argued that the pressure could also accelerate overdue improvements. Their case, detailed in TechCrunch’s October 27 account, centered on managing electricity demand more effectively while adopting technologies that improve how power moves through the system.

The speakers approached that challenge from different directions. Apoorv Bhargava, founder and CEO of Weavegrid, described software that helps utilities manage electricity use. Tim Heidel, CEO of Veir, pointed to improvements in power cables. Kristen Eberhard, vice president of policy at Rewiring America, argued that rising demand is creating an opening to use approaches the industry previously left on the table.

For Bhargava, the problem extends beyond data centers. Utilities are also handling electricity demand from electric vehicles and heat pumps, alongside renewable energy. He described a grid with more variables to coordinate, making the ability to manage those connections a central operational challenge.

Weavegrid’s approach is to help organizations manage their electricity loads—the power they draw—and optimize their grid connections. Bhargava said its software can help utilities make better use of the existing system and reduce customers’ bills.

The scale of the investment in AI infrastructure is driving a tremendous amount of innovation,

Tim Heidel, CEO of Veir, at TechCrunch Disrupt

Heidel’s company addresses the infrastructure carrying the electricity. Veir sells superconductive power lines, which it says can carry power five times farther than traditional cables while requiring 20 times less space.

Heidel argued that AI infrastructure investment is helping technologies move from availability toward deployment at scale. Used together, he said, those technologies could help data centers become better community neighbors. He urged faster adoption to ease the next stage of growth, making deployment speed a central part of his case.

Eberhard, whose organization advocates for household electrification, described an industry becoming more willing to try different approaches because of the urgency surrounding AI demand. She did not frame those approaches as replacements for conventional construction: more transmission lines and centralized power plants are still needed, she said.