Abundant Energy

In this episode of Abundant Energy, host Todd Thomas speaks with Randy Ai about the invisible energy, water and infrastructure costs behind the rapid growth of artificial intelligence. As AI tools, large language models and hyperscale data centers become part of everyday life, the conversation explores what most users never see: the electricity, cooling systems, water usage and physical infrastructure required to power every prompt, model and cloud-based service.

In this episode of Abundant Energy, host Todd Thomas speaks with Nicholas Bagatelos, President of Net Zero Envelope, about how high-performance building envelopes, advanced glass and smarter facade design can reduce energy demand in the AI era. As hyperscale data centers and always-on computing put new pressure on the grid, the conversation highlights why walls, windows, insulation and construction materials are critical to building a more efficient energy future. Chapters (00:00:00) - The Future of AI: Abundant Energy(00:01:02) - The Building Envelope(00:06:16) - What's Changing the Built Environment? Glass and windows(00:11:02) - Data Centers: Energy Efficiency and Construction(00:14:30) - ABUNDANT ENERGY(00:15:40) - Net Zero Envelopes(00:23:06) - Glazing Systems: The Future of Energy Efficiency(00:27:42) - Unlock Abundant Energy(00:28:59) - So how can we reduce embodied carbon in a building?(00:31:57) - Performance improvements in fenestration(00:34:36) - Wood Frame Innovations Shaping the Future of Energy Infrastructure(00:40:23) - Unleashing Abundant Energy(00:41:30) - Importance of the Net-Zero Architecture(00:49:28) - What's the Next Step to a Carbon-Zero Data Center?(00:54:17) - Abundant Energy

In this episode of Abundant Energy, host Todd Thomas is joined by Tom Matthew of NorthStar Clean Energy and Tim Profeta of Duke University’s Nicholas Institute to explore one of the biggest infrastructure questions of the AI era: how do we power the rapid growth of data centers without sacrificing affordability, reliability or sustainability? Chapters (00:00:00) - Abundant Energy: The Quest to Power the AI Revolution(00:01:10) - Top Executives: Energy Is Destiny and How to Align(00:03:22) - Power Generation for Data Centers(00:06:02) - The Grid's Role in the Data Center Boom(00:09:09) - What's the Most Underappreciated bottleneck in the Energy Infrastructure(00:13:21) - Abundant Energy(00:14:41) - The New Deal Between Large Loads and the Grid(00:17:27) - Operational load flexibility for data centers(00:19:00) - Can AI Data Centers Flex the Grid?(00:25:40) - Unlock Abundant Energy(00:27:27) - Northstar Data Center: Hybrid Energy(00:36:11) - Solar-Natural Gas Hybrid Solutions(00:38:54) - Abundant Energy: AI and Energy(00:39:26) - Back with Todd Thomas(00:40:40) - The Future of Data Centers: Community Benefits(00:46:20) - The Need for a Climate-friendly Workforce(00:48:31) - Data Center Success in the Future

In this episode of Abundant Energy, Todd Thomas speaks with Sarah Sloman, Global Partnerships Director at Paythru and a leading voice in the electric vehicle transition, about the real-world challenges shaping the future of EV adoption. The conversation explores why the next phase of electric mobility depends not only on building more vehicles, but on creating a charging experience that is reliable, simple, transparent and trusted by drivers, fleets and operators.