Bits & Watts Initiative

The electricity grid is undergoing a once-in-a-century transformation. The mission of Bits & Watts is to engage research, education, and industry to anticipate that change and find innovative and sustainable solutions to power the 21st century electric grid.

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Bits & Watts Launches New Program on Sustainably Powering AI

AI offers enormous potential for a sustainable future, leveraging the vast amount of data in the energy system to optimize everything from battery management to changing energy markets to grid operation and planning. But this intellectual power comes at the cost of electrical power, and lots of it. The rapid growth of AI is straining the existing power grid.

In response to the challenges presented by AI, Bits & Watts Initiative is launching a new flagship program on Sustainably Powering AI. Over the next two years, the program will foster collaboration between Stanford researchers, global utilities, IT companies, and data center developers in addressing the difficulties of meeting the demands of AI while continuing the transition to a cleaner energy future.

Read the full launch announcement here.

Read about the first round of seed grants here.

News

Many U.S. power utilities unprepared for wildfire risk, study finds
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Many U.S. utilities lag in implementing fundamental mitigation steps despite facing considerable wildfire risk, according to a new Stanford white paper. Failing to prepare endangers communities as well as future development of the energy system, according to the researchers.

Woods Institute for the Environment
Q&A: How new SLAC capabilities will probe the mysteries of superconductors
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The upgrades to Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource could reveal the hidden physics in high-temperature superconductors, SLAC senior scientist Jun-Sik Lee explains.

SLAC
Strained strontium titanate membrane crossed into ferroelectric – and quantum – territory
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The controllable ferroelectricity, combined with strontium titanate's superconducting capabilities, makes it promising for next-generation computing, microelectronics, and superconducting devices.

SLAC