David Holmes has spent decades at the intersection of energy and technology, giving him a front-row seat to one of the biggest shifts our industry has ever faced.

As Global Industries CTO at Dell Technologies, he works with utilities, hyperscalers, developers, and data center operators who are all asking the same question: how do we power the rapid growth of AI?

But David argues that's only half the story.

The bigger opportunity is using AI to make our energy system itself more intelligent. From flexible compute and workload orchestration to long-duration storage, demand response, and the idea of "maximizing every electron," this conversation explores how the relationship between electricity and compute is being fundamentally rewritten.

Along the way, David explains why energy has become a board-level conversation inside technology companies, why decades of conventional data center thinking are being challenged, and why the next generation of infrastructure may be defined less by building more generation than by making better use of what we already have.

Expect to Learn:

🔹 Why energy has become a strategic issue in boardrooms across the technology industry

🔹 The difference between Energy for AI and AI for Energy and why both matter

🔹 What "energy-aware compute" means and how workload orchestration could reshape grid operations

🔹 Why flexible loads may become one of the grid's most valuable assets

🔹 How long-duration storage, behind-the-meter generation, and demand response fit into the future of AI infrastructure

🔹 Why David believes we should focus on maximizing every electron, not simply generating more of them

Nico and David also get into flow batteries, tokens per watt, and why everything Dell learned about data centers over four decades suddenly stopped being useful.

Hit play and rethink what the grid can already do.

Are there other technologies you’ve scouted on the frontlines of the Clean Energy Revolution that you think we should be covering here on SunCast?

Hit us up - team@suncast.me with your feedback & recommendations.

If you want to connect with today's guest, you’ll find links to their contact info in the show notes on the blog at https://suncast.media/episodes/.

Our Platinum Presenting Sponsor for SunCast is CPS America!

You can learn more about all the sponsors who help make this show free for you at www.suncast.media/sponsors.

Remember, you can always find resources, learn more about today’s guest and explore recommendations, book links, and more than 875 other founder stories and startup advice at www.suncast.media.

Subscribe to Valence, our weekly LinkedIn Newsletter, and learn the elements of compelling storytelling: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/valence-content-that-connects-7145928995363049472/

You can connect with me, Nico Johnson, on:

Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/nicomeo

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickalus