The transformer is a key component of power delivery, but its core design dates to the 19th century. A number of startups are working to build a better transformer using software-defined power electronics that are ready for the AI era.

One of those companies is DG Matrix. It focuses on solid-state transformers, which are emerging as as a critical piece of the infrastructure for next-generation AI data center. DG Matrix CEO and cofounder Haroon Inam joins us to discuss solid-state transformers, and how a multi-port design can provide new options for savings and efficiency in the data center power chain.

Here's an overview of our conversation:

00:00 - Why Power Transformers Are Ripe for Disruption

01:05 - Haroon Inam's Journey in Power Electronics

04:15 - Types of Transformers and Their Availability

07:15 - Why Multi-Port SSTs Matter

15:00 - How Can SSTs Help Data Centers?

18:00 - The DG Matrix Offering

22:45 - SSTs and the 800 VDC Transition

25:15 - What the 800 VDC Shift May Look Like

32:30 - What Are the Challenges to SST Adoption

37:00 - Partnerships with Exowatt and InfraPartners

40:00 - The Road Ahead for DG Matrix

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At Data Center Richness we demystify technology and explain why data centers matter, and what comes next for the Internet, cloud computing and AI. Host Rich Miller is a journalist and analyst who has been covering the data center sector for 25 years.

Subscribe to our channel for more insights:
https://www.youtube.com/@DataCenterRichness?sub_confirmation=1

NOW ON SUBSTACK!

Check out the Data Center Richness Substack:
https://datacenterrichness.substack.com/

On the Web:
Data Center Richness
https://datacenterpodcast.com/

LINKS FROM THIS SHOW

DG Matrix
https://www.dgmatrix.com/

Solid-State Transformers Could Reshape the Future of AI
https://datacenterrichness.substack.com/p/solid-state-transformers-could-reshape

Haroon Inam on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/harooninam/

Rich Miller on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/datacenterfrontier/

RELATED VIDEOS:

Solid-State Transformers and the Future of AI
https://youtu.be/fyN9_9wz-3M

Exowatt: The Solar Startup Aiming to Transform Data Centers
https://youtu.be/KPdI5OW-TUw?si=8a10IaGZGQAcbWEF

Data Centers, AI and the Future of Power
https://youtu.be/EYo2YK7L5q0?si=u6kDairimGUARt3b

All video by Data Center Richness.

Supplemental music via Epidemic Sound https://share.epidemicsound.com/60o8qx

Can electric vehicles, solar panels and smart thermostats in homes help free up more grid power for data centers? This concept that has been turning in recent months as the data center power crunch has become more challenging.

The concept known as a virtual power plant or VPP. It's a collection of small energy sources that are brought together to create a large energy asset, which can be managed to help support the power grid in moments of high usage. The owners of homes and vehicles get paid for the energy they share back to the grid.

Our guest today is Elisa Wood, an expert in distributed energy who can help us understand virtual power plants, and how they work. Elisa has been covering the energy sector for many years. She's the founder of Energy Changemakers, where she reports on the future of distributed energy.

I asked Elisa to join us because in recent months we've seen a growing push to tap unutilized energy that exists on power grids. It turned out to be a timely conversation. Literally while we were taping our podcast, Google announced a groundbreaking deal with VPP provider Voltus Energy, which marks the first time that a data center operator has worked with a VPP provider.

Their agreement is structured as a "Bring Your Own Capacity" deal, which will unlock 100 megawatts of new capacity on the PJM Interconnection, which serves 67 million customers in the Eastern half of the country. The location is notable because the PJM grid is facing capacity constraints, as well as a huge influx of data center projects.

Given the importance of the deal between Google and Voltus, Elisa rejoined me to share her take on the landmark deal and its significance. In today's episode you'll hear parts of both our conversations, which we've edited together to provide a solid understanding of virtual power plants and why they matter.
----------------------------

At Data Center Richness we demystify technology and explain why data centers matter, and what comes next for the Internet, cloud computing and AI. Host Rich Miller is a journalist and analyst who has been covering the data center sector for 25 years.

Subscribe to our channel for more insights:
https://www.youtube.com/@DataCenterRichness?sub_confirmation=1

LINKS FROM THIS SHOW :

Energy Changemakers (Elisa's Community)
https://energychangemakers.com/

Elisa Wood on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/elisawood/

Google and Voltus Announce Bring Your Own Capacity Agreement
https://www.voltus.co/press/voltus-google-bring-your-own-capacity-pjm

Voltus Energy
https://www.voltus.co/

RELATED VIDEO:

Voltus: Data Centers Can Bring Their Own Energy
https://youtu.be/pG2vRhn2eTQ?si=8qS5p053oH121i8X

Data Centers, AI and the Future of Power
https://youtu.be/EYo2YK7L5q0?si=8xgKEabduuqwdNzw

Fixing the AI Power Gap
https://youtu.be/uwNa5dZfo90?si=heU4h2wWujvbyK2X

Supplemental music via Epidemic Sound.

What's it like to work on the front lines of data center innovation? Google has been a pioneer in the digital economy, and developed many of the innovations that define hyperscale data centers.

Today on Data Center Richness, we discuss what it's like to be building at the leading edge of a massive technology transformation. Our guest is Joe Kava, who led the Google data center team through an amazing phase of growth, both for the company and the data center industry.

Joe retired from Google in 2025, and at the Data Center World 2026 conference, he was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award. Today, he's here to share his thoughts on his journey at Google, and what's next for the data center sector.

Here's an overview of my talk with Joe Kava:

00:00 - The Innovation That Defined Hyperscale Computing

01:30 - Joe Kava's Data Center Journey, and How it Led to Google

10:22 - The RagingWire Factor

11:20 - Google Scale - Where No Data Center Had Gone Before

21:00 - The New Economy Rises in the Footprint of the Old

22:20 - Rethinking Everything: Optimizing from Chip to Cloud

30:20 - How PUE Drove Massive Efficiency Gains

31:30 - Google's Leadership on Sustainability

32:50 - DCW and the Lifetime Achievement Award

41:00 - What's Next for the Data Center Industry?

48:30 - The Challenge Ahead - Navigating Amid Community Resistance

------------------------------------------------------------------------

At Data Center Richness we demystify technology and explain why data centers matter, and what comes next for the Internet, cloud computing and AI. Host Rich Miller is a journalist and analyst who has been covering the data center sector for 25 years.

Subscribe to our channel for more insights:
https://www.youtube.com/@DataCenterRichness?sub_confirmation=1

NOW ON SUBSTACK!

Check out the Data Center Richness Substack:
https://datacenterrichness.substack.com/

On the Web:
Data Center Richness
https://datacenterpodcast.com/

LINKS FROM THIS SHOW

How A 'Leap of Faith' Sparked Joe Kava's Data Center Career
https://datacenterworld.com/article/how-a-leap-of-faith-sparked-joseph-kavas-storied-google-data-center-career/

Google Data Centers
https://datacenters.google/

Joe Kava on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/billkleyman/

Rich Miller on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/datacenterfrontier/

RELATED VIDEOS:

The State of the Data Center 2026
https://youtu.be/NxqFYbuJduY?si=YH2MgxhM7cpREsyV

Verrus is Rethinking The Data Center
https://youtu.be/x9OoLh8UEoc?si=YMkPOqgisOGdWrYw

All video by Data Center Richness.

Supplemental music via Epidemic Sound https://share.epidemicsound.com/60o8qx

Few people know liquid cooling as well as Rich Whitmore. He is the CEO of Motivair by Schneider Electric, which has cooled the world's most powerful supercomputers.

After years of working with the HPC and data center communities, Motivair was acquired last year by global equipment giant Schneider Electric to prepare for surging adoption of liquid cooling for AI workloads.

The rise of AI and extreme rack density was a key focus at the recent Schneider Electirc Innovation Summit in Buffalo, N.Y., where I sat down with Rich for a discussion of where liquid cooling has been and where it's going from here.

Here's a guide to our discussion with Rich Whitmore:

00:00 - The Trajectory of Liquid Cooling

02:00 - Motivair's History and Rich Whitmore's Data Center Journey

03:45 - The Rise of High-Density Cooling

06:20 - The Motivair "Cooling Door"

08:45 - The Latest Trends in Coolant DIstribution Units (CDUs)

12:45 - CDU Sizing in the Hyperscale Age

15:35 - Managing Cooling for Dynamic AI Workloads

17:10 - The Role of Software in Holistic Cooling

20:35 - Grappling With the Megawatt Rack

22:15 - The Road Ahead - What's Next for Motivair by Schneider?

------------------------------------------------------------------------

At Data Center Richness we demystify technology and explain why data centers matter, and what comes next for the Internet, cloud computing and AI. Host Rich Miller is a journalist and analyst who has been covering the data center sector for 25 years.

Subscribe to our channel for more insights:
https://www.youtube.com/@DataCenterRichness?sub_confirmation=1

NOW ON SUBSTACK!

Check out the Data Center Richness Substack:
https://datacenterrichness.substack.com/

On the Web:
Data Center Richness
https://datacenterpodcast.com/

LINKS FROM THIS SHOW

Motivair by Schneider
https://www.motivaircorp.com/

Rich Whitmore on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rich-whitmore-2167284/

Rich Miller on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/datacenterfrontier/

RELATED VIDEOS:

Inside Schneider's Liquid Cooling Push With Motivair
https://youtu.be/_uPj295skyQ?si=HmuAYGHCanJ69w-a

Liquid Cooling Has Finally Arrived
https://youtu.be/sZM6MZBOeho?si=HrDgXB345zn51-XL

A Closer Look at Two-Phase Liquid Cooling
https://youtu.be/w_Us94JgYzc?si=wMd1TUS7bMJjqjew

All video by Data Center Richness.

Supplemental music via Epidemic Sound https://share.epidemicsound.com/60o8qx

There's big change coming to power distribution in data centers. Today on Data Center Center Richness, we look at the planned transition to 800 volt DC power distribution, and a new technology - Solid-State Transformers - could play a key role in these upgrades to AI infrastructure.

Our guest is Dafna Granot, the Senior Manager for Strategy & Innovation at SolarEdge, which specializes in DC power technology to support solar energy in both consumer and utility settings. The company is expanding into the data center market, with a vision for how Solid-State Transformers can bring extreme efficiency to the 800 volt DC transition.

Here's an overview of my conversation with Dafna Granot of SolarEdge:

00:00 - Why Big Change is Coming to Data Center Power.

01:16 - About SolarEdge and Dafna's background

03:20 - Solid-State Transformers and Why They Matter

07:10 - The 800 VDC Roadmap for Data Centers

12:50 - Timelines for 800 VDC Implementation

15:40 - The Challenges Accompanying Solid-State Transformers (SSTs)

18:40 - The Future Supply Chain for 800 VDC

20:20 - NVIDIA's Role in Shaping the DC Power Chain

23:00 - The Road Ahead: Staffing and Expertise

------------------------------------------------------------------------

At Data Center Richness we demystify technology and explain why data centers matter, and what comes next for the Internet, cloud computing and AI. Host Rich Miller is a journalist and analyst who has been covering the data center sector for 25 years.

Subscribe to our channel for more insights:
https://www.youtube.com/@DataCenterRichness?sub_confirmation=1

NOW ON SUBSTACK!

Check out the Data Center Richness Substack:
https://datacenterrichness.substack.com/

On the Web:
Data Center Richness
https://datacenterpodcast.com/

LINKS FROM THIS SHOW

SolarEdge (Residential site)
https://www.solaredge.com/us/

SolarEdge, Infineon Partner on SSTs for AI Data Centers
https://investors.solaredge.com/news-releases/news-release-details/solaredge-and-infineon-collaborate-advance-high-efficiency-power

Dafna Granot on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dafna-granot-b17099156/

Rich Miller on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/datacenterfrontier/

RELATED VIDEOS:

Fixing the AI Power Grid
https://youtu.be/uwNa5dZfo90?si=DrOgnZv6ymKUHzd-

The Solar Startup Aiming to Transform Data Centers
https://youtu.be/KPdI5OW-TUw?si=8a10IaGZGQAcbWEF

Data Centers, AI and the Future of Power
https://youtu.be/EYo2YK7L5q0?si=u6kDairimGUARt3b

All video by Data Center Richness.

Supplemental music via Epidemic Sound
https://share.epidemicsound.com/60o8qx

We've all seen the headlines about AI data centers using up grid capacity and raising power prices. What you may not know is that AI can also find more power and help lower consumer bills.

In this video we profile a startup called GridCARE, which is using AI tools and software to unlock more existing electricity for utilities and power grids. CEO Amit Narayan shares how this technology located 400 megawatts of capacity in one of the nation's busiest data center markets, enabling enough power for 5 new data center projects.

What's even better is that if a utility can serve more data centers without having to build new transmission lines, it can actually lower power bills for consumers, and utilities can use the savings to improve their infrastructure.

Yes, AI data centers use a lot of power. But there's much more to the story. Here's an overview of my conversation with GridCARE's Amit Narayan.

00:00 - Same Grid, Only With More Capacity

01:50 - Amit Narayan's Entrepreneurial Journey

05:30 - How GridCARE Works with Utilities and Data Centers

10:20 - Managing Peaks to Unlock Power

15:00 - Grid Optimization and Site Selection

17:45 - Finding 400 Megawatts for PGE in Oregon

24:00 - The Road Ahead: A Grid-Optimized Future

------------------------------------------------------------------------

At Data Center Richness we demystify technology and explain why data centers matter, and what comes next for the Internet, cloud computing and AI. Host Rich Miller is a journalist and analyst who has been covering the data center sector for 25 years.

Subscribe to our channel for more insights:
https://www.youtube.com/@DataCenterRichness?sub_confirmation=1

NOW ON SUBSTACK!

Check out the Data Center Richness Substack:
https://datacenterrichness.substack.com/

On the Web:
Data Center Richness
https://datacenterpodcast.com/

LINKS FROM THIS SHOW

GridCARE
https://www.gridcare.ai/

PGE and GridCARE Accelerate Hundreds of Megawatts of Data Center Power
https://www.gridcare.ai/post/pge-and-gridcare-accelerate-hundreds-of-megawatts

Amu Narayan on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/amitnarayan/

Rich Miller on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/datacenterfrontier/

RELATED VIDEOS:

Fixing the AI Power Grid
https://youtu.be/uwNa5dZfo90?si=DrOgnZv6ymKUHzd-

The Solar Startup Aiming to Transform Data Centers
https://youtu.be/KPdI5OW-TUw?si=8a10IaGZGQAcbWEF

Data Centers in Space?
https://youtu.be/huBe4mbycZc?si=bGX7vopdGpTAqRyG

All video by Data Center Richness.

Supplemental music via Epidemic Sound https://share.epidemicsound.com/60o8qx

These are boom times for conferences about data centers and AI. In a time of Big, Fast, Change, industry events provide essential education and networking for the many folks who are new to the data center sector.

One of the largest events on the conference schedule is Data Center World, which gets underway next week in Washington, D.C. We sat down with Bill Kleyman, the Executive Chairman of Data Center World, to talk about the growth of conferences, and their important role in the industry.

Bill has LOTS to share about the scope and agenda for Data Center World, and shares highlights from the AFCOM State of the Data Center Report. Bill is an old friend and colleague, and you'll appreciate the energy and insight he brings to our discussion.

Here's an overview of my talk with Bill Kleyman:

00:00 - The Data Center Conference Boom

02:25 - Meet Bill Kleyman, Data Center World Goes Global

08:30 - Building an Event Agenda Amid a Firehose of Change

12:00 - The State of the Data Center 2026 Report Highlights

22:00 - Rich's Take on the Report's Top Trends

28:30 - Hot Sessions for DCW Attendees

32:20 - A New Era for Data Center Security Concerns

------------------------------------------------------------------------

At Data Center Richness we demystify technology and explain why data centers matter, and what comes next for the Internet, cloud computing and AI. Host Rich Miller is a journalist and analyst who has been covering the data center sector for 25 years.

Subscribe to our channel for more insights:
https://www.youtube.com/@DataCenterRichness?sub_confirmation=1

NOW ON SUBSTACK!

Check out the Data Center Richness Substack:
https://datacenterrichness.substack.com/

On the Web:
Data Center Richness
https://datacenterpodcast.com/

LINKS FROM THIS SHOW

Data Center World 2026
https://datacenterworld.com/

The New Front Line: Securing Data Centers in the AI Era
https://www.datacenterknowledge.com/security-and-risk-management/the-new-front-line-securing-data-centers-in-the-ai-era

State of the Data Center 2026 Executive Summary https://afcom.com/news/720973/WHITEPAPER--State-of-the-Data-Center-2026-Executive-Summary.htm

Apolo - Bill's day job ... he is the CEO
https://www.apolo.us/

Bill Kleyman on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/billkleyman/

Rich Miller on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/datacenterfrontier/

RELATED VIDEOS:

Power, Bravery and Nuclear Data Centers
https://youtu.be/STr3FHuBhok?si=XBJLbKW3BkfCqNG5

Why AI Will be a Paradigm Shift for Tech
https://youtu.be/u-Lv9MwS7x8?si=2O0qDYz_Fc4XVJGi

All video by Data Center Richness.

Supplemental music via Epidemic Sound https://share.epidemicsound.com/60o8qx

Let's talk about solar-powered data centers. A lot of the recent discussion of data center power has focused on strategies supported by natural gas, or perhaps small modular nuclear reactors.

But what about renewable energy?

Today my guest is Nic Bustamante, who has held data center leadership positions at several hyperscale players. Nic is the Chief Data Center Officer at Exowatt, a renewable energy company with an innovative approach to delivering clean power around the clock for data center campuses. It combines several existing technologies - thermal solar, Fresnel concentrating lenses, and the Stirling engine - to create a module that provides solar power and energy storage without lithium batteries.

We talk about the current state of data center energy, Exowatt's thermal solar technology, and the opportunity for solar in the AI boom. Here's an overview of our conversation:

00:00 - The Solar Opportunity for AI Data Centers

01:20 - Nic Bustamante and his Data Center Journey

03:15 - A Box of Hot Rocks: What's Different About Exowatt?

09:30 - How Much Land Does Solar Need (at AI Scale)

18:00 - The Geography of Solar Data Centers

25:00 - Community Relations and Solar

32:00 - How Inference Could Shape Solar Deployments

------------------------------------------------------------------------

At Data Center Richness we demystify technology and explain why data centers matter, and what comes next for the Internet, cloud computing and AI. Host Rich Miller is a journalist and analyst who has been covering the data center sector for 25 years.

Subscribe to our channel for more insights:
https://www.youtube.com/@DataCenterRichness?sub_confirmation=1

NOW ON SUBSTACK!

Check out the Data Center Richness Substack:
https://datacenterrichness.substack.com/

On the Web:
Data Center Richness
https://datacenterpodcast.com/

LINKS FROM THIS SHOW

Exowatt
https://www.exowatt.com/

ExoRise Powered Land
https://www.exowatt.com/exorise

Nic Bustamante on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nbustamante/

Rich Miller on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/datacenterfrontier/

RELATED VIDEOS:

Why AI Data Centers Are Building Their Own Power
https://youtu.be/Yx7QGNQsJaQ?si=5KI-IgaaZU7GAtwL

Decoding Data Center Power (Dan Crosby)
https://youtu.be/GJiBqvUl5rU?si=OP8wPhevaZnyY8xL

Why Data Centers Are Turning to Bloom Energy
https://youtu.be/Z-udNWq2bAg?si=E1a0OPEgdM9Dz_jT

All video by Data Center Richness.

Supplemental music via Epidemic Sound https://share.epidemicsound.com/60o8qx