The Data Center Frontier Show Bridging the Data Center Power Gap: Utilities, On-Site Power, and the AI Buildout
Dec 9, 2025
Jeff Barber, VP of Global Data Centers at Bloom Energy, discusses innovative non-combustion power solutions for the data center industry. He joins industry leaders to tackle how AI workloads strain today’s grid and the critical bottlenecks in power transmission. The panel explores evolving on-site power strategies, including gas-fired generation and fuel cells, while sharing insights on recruiting the next generation of engineers to meet these demands. This engaging conversation sheds light on the evolving partnership between energy providers and data center operators in the AI era.
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AI Spurs New On-Site Power Needs
- AI workloads are dramatically increasing demand for on-site, non-combustion power solutions at data centers.
- Jeff Barber emphasizes that data centers now need new power approaches to support AI scale and reliability.
Early Timelines Proved Overly Optimistic
- Jeff Barber recounts earlier optimistic timelines for deployment that proved ambitious in practice.
- He notes the 90-day up-and-running claim was overly optimistic due to environmental and supply realities.
Standardize Production To Scale Quickly
- Standardize manufacturing and production processes to scale energy technology deployment quickly.
- Jeff Barber recommends moving to consistent production lines to reach commercial manufacturing by 2027.