Season 1, Episode 142 · Gradient Dissent: Conversations on AI
Elon's Former Battery Chief: AI Data Centers Will Make Electricity Cheaper
18 Aug 2026 · 1 hr 34 min
Episode notes
Can today's power grid handle the explosive growth of AI data centers? Tesla Alum Drew Baglino , now founder & CEO of Heron Power , doesn't think so. In this episode, he joins Lukas Biewald to talk about why scaling compute requires a fundamental overhaul of grid-to-chip infrastructure, not just bigger power plants. They cover how Heron Power raised $140M to cut power losses in half, shrink massive oil-filled transformers by 100x, and unlock 35MW of extra compute for every gigawatt data center, and what that means for the future of AI energy efficiency. Connect with us here: Drew Baglino…
Podcast
Gradient Dissent: Conversations on AI
Lukas Biewald · Tech & Science · English
Join Lukas Biewald on Gradient Dissent, an AI-focused podcast brought to you by Weights & Biases. Dive into fascinating conversations with industry giants from NVIDIA, Meta, Google, Lyft, OpenAI, and more. Explore the cutting-edge of AI and learn the intricacies of bringing models into production.
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