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Bits & Watts Initiative is a cross-campus effort of the Precourt Institute for Energy.

Seed Grants

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Now Accepting Seed Grant Proposals

Request for Proposals from Stanford Faculty in Powering AI Sustainably

Each year, Bits & Watts invites proposals for seed funding of projects that, if successful, could equip investigators to obtain additional funding for follow-on research from other sources. Such projects inevitably involve risk; the evaluation of the proposals attempts to balance the risk and potential impacts of a successful project. This research funding is intended to encourage faculty to move into interdisciplinary energy research that is a departure from ongoing work in their research groups. Seed grant projects are typically funded up to $100K per year for two years.

This year, the initiative’s Request for Proposals (RFP) focuses on the topic of sustainably powering artificial intelligence (AI). It complements a concurrent RFP from the Stanford Sustainability Accelerator's Electricity and Grid Systems program, which seeks innovative solutions and policies that support the broader goal of grid decarbonization. Bits & Watts offers up to $100,000 per project for a duration of one year. This funding opportunity is available to Stanford faculty across all departments and schools. Proposals should focus on innovative strategies to address the growing energy demands of AI and data centers, including but not limited to the following areas:

  • Flexibility
  • Reliability & Interconnection
  • Affordability
  • Emission Reduction and Monitoring

For more details and to apply by December 13, please read the full RFP here.

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