Alternative Disruptors: The ‘All of the Above’ Approach for Data Centers

February 26, 2026

In this second episode of Alternative Disruptors with Tudor Scolca, EdgeCore’s Tom Traugott breaks down why he believes the “all of the above” approach is needed to unlock the next stage of growth.

After the U.S.’s nearly 20-year stretch of little to no electricity load growth, we’re now shifting into an age where new investments are needed to sustain the pace of demand from AI and hyperscale data center users.

Current U.S. data center market trends point to ever-increasing levels of development complexity, with gigawatt-scale campuses now a reality. Tom Traugott, SVP of emerging technologies at EdgeCore Digital Infrastructure joins us on this second episode of Alternative Disruptors to discuss this new paradigm, breaking down what the baseline will be from 2026 onward.

“I think the industry has started to recognize that there’s four dimensions that can slow down AI. Those are chips, data, networking throughput and power. Power is the lowest ceiling we’re encountering right now.”

Some of the potential solutions to unlocking more power are more approachable than others. One example is curtailing just 1 percent of the megawatt-hours in a year and utilizing either on-site generation or battery storage. This could potentially unlock hundreds of gigawatts in the near-term, which can result in more revenue for the grid, while also improving overall reliability.

Unlocking new megawatts, or even stranded ones, will take a new approach to capex investment. From regulatory realignment to utilizing on-site generation and flexible loads, the data center sector is getting ready to solve these challenges from all angles possible, or, as Traugott puts it, the “all of the above approach”.

Here’s a breakdown of the discussion: