NAES, an independent power operator in the US, and Gecko, an AI-driven robotics platforms provider, have entered into a strategic partnership aimed at enhancing the operational efficiency and reliability of US power production.
The partnership follows the declaration of a national energy emergency by President Trump on January 20th and marks an initial multi-year agreement valued at more than US$100m.
The deal reportedly has the potential to expand to more than $250 million depending on demand, with a primary focus on modernising power plants across the country to address the ongoing energy crisis.
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This collaboration combines NAES’ extensive operational expertise in both thermal and renewable energy with Gecko’s cutting-edge robotics and AI technology. The US is facing an increasing threat of insufficient energy due to growing demand across multiple sectors, including data centre, electrification, and transportation. The national energy demand is projected to increase by 16% over the next four years, with data centre power needs alone expected to rise by 160% by 2030.
The partnership seeks to address these challenges by leveraging advanced technology to improve the performance of power plants and mitigate risks posed by an overstretched grid.
Under the partnership, Gecko’s robotics, including its wall-climbing robots, drones, and robot dogs, will gather critical data from power plants. This data will be processed through Gecko’s AI-driven software platform, Cantilever, which analyses asset health and predicts optimisations for plant performance.
This is expected to reduce unexpected downtime and reactive maintenance by as much as 80%, while also extending the lifespan of plant assets. The AI platform’s predictive capabilities will allow facilities to learn from similar operations, optimising performance and preventing catastrophic failures.
In addition to improving infrastructure performance, the partnership also aims to address workforce challenges within the power industry.
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