Redwood Materials has a new business: Helping AI data centers avoid America's backed-up electric grid
Source: Business Insider ·
JB Straubel's Redwood Materials is using retired EV batteries to help AI data centers get electricity faster, without waiting for the strained grid.
From the source
JB Straubel, co-founder and chief executive officer of Redwood Materials.Bloomberg/Getty ImagesRedwood Materials wants to help AI data centers get electricity faster.It plans to combine retired EV batteries with solar and other on-site power sources.Redwood is working with Rivian and has built a battery system for Crusoe in Nevada.Redwood Materials wants to help companies sidestep years-long waits for electricity by building on-site energy systems with recycled EV batteries, according to CEO JB Straubel.The battery recycling startup is expanding beyond collecting and processing old electric-vehicle batteries. It's increasingly pitching itself as a way for AI data centers to get power faster, without waiting for new connections to America's backed-up electric grid."Connecting to the grid can take years," Straubel wrote in a blog post on Wednesday.His solution is what the industry calls "behind-the-meter" energy systems, which operate without needing to connect to the grid. Redwood…