- Sidewalk Infrastructure Partners (SIP), an Alphabet spinoff, unveils Verrus, a pioneering data centre energy management solution employing advanced microgrid technology.
- Verrus aims to address modern computing challenges, like cloud computing peaks and AI projects, by efficiently allocating energy.
- SIP’s Verrus initiative underscores the growing importance of innovative energy solutions in the tech industry, attracting interest from major players like Alphabet and reflecting broader trends in battery-based electricity management.
Sidewalk Infrastructure Partners (SIP) — the Alphabet spinout focusing on innovative infrastructure solutions in power, broadband, and waste management — introduces Verrus, a novel concept for data centre energy management.
Verrus integrates “microgrids” with advanced batteries and software to allocate energy efficiently, addressing challenges posed by modern computing needs, including cloud computing peaks and AI projects.
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The first three Verrus-designed data centres will be deployed by 2026 or 2027
Jonathan Winer, co-founder and co-CEO of SIP, anticipates deploying the first three Verrus-designed data centres in Arizona, California, and Massachusetts by 2026 or 2027. While no customers are signed yet, interest from “hyperscalers” like Alphabet indicates potential for investment.
Winer describes Verrus as having “gigawatt scale ambitions,” estimating a $1 billion investment for such a data centre. SIP, backed by Alphabet, Ontario Teachers’, and StepStone, has been developing Verrus stealthily for nearly two years, leveraging expertise in electricity grid management and load shifting.
There is need for innovative energy management
The rise of cloud computing and AI poses challenges on the grid, prompting the need for innovative energy management. Verrus proposes a “microgrids” approach, utilising high-capacity batteries for flexible power deployment within data centres.
SIP sees Verrus as a sustainable alternative to simply adding more data centres, emphasising the importance of energy innovation in the tech sector. Verrus reflects the broader trend of exploring super-capacity battery solutions for electricity distribution, exemplified by startups like Germany’s Instagrid.
