Emerald AI raised $150 million in a round led by DCVC and Energize Capital, according to a New York Times report surfaced by Techmeme. The report says the financing valued the company at $1.05 billion. The company uses AI to optimize data center power consumption based on grid demands, according to the same report. The available summary is thin, but it says Emerald uses AI or software for power optimization in data centers. That backdrop is not theoretical. Separately, WIRED reports that the UK’s energy regulator, Ofgem, is trying to clear speculative data center projects from the country’s grid connection queue. WIRED says the queue has become crowded with projects that may never be built, worsening waits for viable developments and making demand forecasting harder for grid planners. Under Ofgem’s July proposal, developers would have to make a large nonrefundable deposit, line up customers in advance, and show they have the funding to complete projects, according to WIRED. The proposal is still subject to an industry feedback process that ends in September. WIRED reports that the scale of the queue expanded rapidly: between November 2024 and June 2025, total energy demand represented by projects seeking UK grid connections rose from 41 gigawatts to 125 gigawatts, citing Ofgem. New data centers accounted for 73 gigawatts of that demand, a figure WIRED says is equal to one and a half times the UK’s peak demand last year. The Emerald financing and the UK regulatory fight are separate reports. Together, they show that data center power use and grid access are active issues around AI infrastructure, though the sources do not establish a direct connection between Emerald’s round and Ofgem’s proposal. Who benefits: Emerald AI benefits from the reported financing. Viable data center projects in the UK may benefit if Ofgem’s proposal clears speculative projects from the grid connection queue, according to WIRED. Who's exposed: Speculative data center developers are exposed in markets where regulators tighten connection requirements. Operators that cannot prove customers, financing, or credible build plans may face higher upfront costs or delays, according to WIRED’s account of the UK proposal.