[Edaily Marketin Reporter Soyoung Park ] With the advent of the artificial intelligence (AI) era, demand for electricity is on the rise. Global investors are turning their attention to technologies that can resolve power bottlenecks. Building new large-scale power plants or transmission grids often takes a long time. This is why funds are flowing into technologies that can efficiently utilize existing power sources or supply electricity without connecting to the power grid.

According to the global investment banking (IB) industry on the 27th, energy technology companies possessing technologies that resolve grid connection delays are garnering industry attention, with some even achieving unicorn status. This month alone, three startups successfully secured large-scale funding from financial investors (FIs) and strategic investors (SIs).

The startups attracting market attention are primarily based in the United States. While U.S. electricity demand is rising, it is difficult to meet this growing demand solely through the construction of new power grids. In response, regulatory authorities have moved to streamline grid connection procedures by encouraging measures that allow for the efficient utilization of existing grid capacity. This strategy involves efficiently managing idle capacity so that power companies do not have to wait for new infrastructure to be built.

For example, TAR, a U.S.-based company building standalone power systems for AI data centers, successfully raised $120 million (approximately 166 billion won) in a Series A funding round on the 10th. With this round, the company achieved a valuation of $1 billion (approximately 1 trillion won), earning it “unicorn” status. Spark Capital led the round. Berkeley Ventures and Align Fund also participated in the investment.

TAR bundles facilities consisting of solar panels and battery storage systems into modular units and supplies them to AI data centers. A key advantage is that its off-grid approach avoids competing with local communities for power supply. In other words, it utilizes a standalone power supply system that is not connected to the external power grid.

In addition, U.S.-based Rune Energy secured a $40 million (approximately 55.3 billion won) Series A investment on the 16th. This round was led by Spark Capital, with participation from Union Square Ventures, Lower Carbon Capital, Activate Capital, Timeless, and Logos.

Rune has adopted a method of supplying power—generated by renewable energy plants but left unused due to output control or losses—directly from the site to data centers. The company’s “RELIC” system harnesses clean energy directly for computing. It can be installed between solar panels in under 60 minutes.

Gridsight, an Australian power grid AI startup, secured a $26 million (approximately 36 billion won) Series B investment on the 1st. The company provides a platform that identifies idle capacity in the power grid in real time and helps maximize its utilization.

Gridsight’s AI agent supports engineers by enabling them to analyze complex networks in real time, make quick decisions, and implement automation. The company plans to use this investment to accelerate its business expansion in the U.S. market.

This trend is expected to play out similarly in the domestic market. An official from the domestic energy industry stated, “Energy technology requires not only large-scale funding but also a long commercialization period,” adding, “This is why, rather than large-scale infrastructure investments, investors in the private sector are focusing on commercially viable technologies that can resolve power bottlenecks and adequately meet customer needs.”