Inevitable

Ashvin Dayal, Senior VP for Power and Climate at the Rockefeller Foundation, leads the Global Energy Alliance to expand clean electricity in emerging markets. He discusses why energy access matters, how philanthropic first-loss capital unlocks private investment, the rise of distributed solar and mini-grids, Mission 300 to electrify millions, and exploring nuclear and SMRs as part of a diverse energy mix.

William Layden, Co-founder and CEO of Rune, builds modular DC micro data centers that plug into solar and wind to turn stranded clean power into compute. He explains solar clipping and curtailment, why DC-to-DC architecture matters, starting with Bitcoin as a beachhead, and how modular units can rapidly deploy AI-scale compute at renewable sites.

Varun Sivaram, founder and CEO of Emerald AI and energy infrastructure veteran, builds software that makes AI data centers power-flexible. He discusses treating data centers as controllable loads, shifting compute across time and place, coordinating with batteries, and a Phoenix field trial showing large grid relief without breaking compute.

Eugene Kirpichov, co-founder and executive director of Work on Climate, helps professionals become climate leaders inside companies and communities. He argues that landing a climate job is not enough. Conversations cover shifting from jobs to leadership and power. They explore regenerative economics, building new economic operating systems, and how networks can outcompete incumbents to scale systemic change.

Stuart Landesberg, co-founder and CEO of Seneca who builds large autonomous aerial systems to fight wildfires. He recounts leaving Grove to tackle civilization-level wildfire risk. The conversation covers rapid early detection, distributed autonomous suppression copters, why helicopters and consumer drones fall short, and new use cases like mop-up, prescribed burns, and protecting infrastructure.

Augustus Doricko, the Founder and CEO of Rainmaker, sheds light on the cutting-edge world of cloud seeding. He demystifies the technology, explaining how it utilizes drones and radar to enhance precipitation, making it not just science fiction but a viable solution to increasing water scarcity. Augustus discusses the importance of dual-polarization radar for validating results, the advantages of drones over traditional planes, and the focus on utilizing snowpack as a sustainable water source. He also tackles public misconceptions and regulatory challenges.

Philip Johnston, co-founder and CEO of Starcloud, is pioneering orbital data centers to tackle the power challenges plaguing AI. He discusses launching the first NVIDIA H100 GPU into orbit, explaining how continuous solar power and vacuum cooling can revolutionize computing. Johnston also highlights SpaceX's role in making space more accessible and the efficiency of space-based solar arrays. He delves into operational constraints and near-term applications, emphasizing the potential of low-latency inference for Earth observation.

Kurt Terrani, CEO of Standard Nuclear and an expert in nuclear fuels, dives deep into the often-overlooked world of TRISO fuel, essential for advanced reactors. He explains the nuclear fuel cycle, from uranium processing to TRISO's unique resilience and economic impact on reactor safety and scalability. Discussing the transition from vertically integrated fuel strategies to flexible suppliers, Kurt shares insights from Standard Nuclear's journey post-Chapter 11 and stresses the importance of standardizing fuel specs to accelerate nuclear technology deployment.

Aleks Gampel, COO and co-founder of Cuby, discusses innovative approaches to tackle the housing crisis. He highlights the use of mobile microfactories that produce home components locally, drastically reducing costs and carbon emissions. Aleks explains the failures of past prefab models and the inefficiencies of centralized gigafactories. He shares insights on creating unskilled local jobs and how Cuby's design aims for resilience and affordability. With plans for expanding into multifamily housing, he envisions a transformative future for construction.

Carrie von Muench, COO and co-founder of Pacific Fusion, discusses her journey from skepticism to driving innovation in fusion energy. She highlights recent breakthroughs, such as the National Ignition Facility's ignition, that shifted fusion from theory to a tangible engineering challenge. Carrie explains the unique financing model for fusion, details their modular pulsed-magnetic system, and outlines the ambitious goal of achieving net facility gain by 2030. She also shares insights on the strategic global race in fusion development and the significance of their New Mexico facility.