Catalyst with Shayle Kann

Latest Episodes:

The gas turbine crunch Dec 26, 2025

Show notes

Demand for turbines is growing fast, but so are lead times — causing serious headaches for developers and even cancellations. In Texas, one of six cancelled projects cited “equipment procurement constraints” as the reasons for its withdrawal.

Lead times are stretching to four years and sometimes more. Costs are climbing. So what’s behind the bottleneck?

In this episode, Shayle talks to Anthony Brough, founder and CEO of Dora Partners, a consulting firm focused on the turbine market. Shayle and Anthony cover topics like:

Why previous boom-bust cycles in turbine manufacturing have left the industry skittish — and why Anthony says leaders are approaching this new peak with “guarded optimism”

The competing demands on the turbine supply chain, including from power, oil and gas, and aerospace industries

How lead times have ballooned to four years and, in some cases, even longer

Factors affecting the market beyond load growth, like renewables, storage, affordable gas, and coal retirements

How investment in tech innovation has raised turbine efficiency

How the industry is preparing for hydrogen — if hydrogen scales up

Resources:

Latitude Media: Engie’s pulled project highlights the worsening economics of gas

Latitude Media: High costs, delays prompt withdrawal of five more Texas gas plants

Power Magazine: Gas Power's Boom Sparks a Turbine Supply Crunch

Marketplace: Will we have enough natural gas turbines to power AI data centers?

CTVC: 🌎 Gas turbine gridlock #236

Credits: Hosted by Shayle Kann. Produced and edited by Daniel Woldorff. Original music and engineering by Sean Marquand. Stephen Lacey is our executive editor.

Catalyst is brought to you by Bloom Energy. AI data centers can’t wait years for grid power—and with Bloom Energy’s fuel cells, they don’t have to. Bloom Energy delivers affordable, always-on, ultra-reliable onsite power, built for chipmakers, hyperscalers, and data center leaders looking to power their operations at AI speed. Learn more by visiting BloomEnergy.com.

Catalyst is supported by Third Way. Third Way’s new PACE study surveyed over 200 clean energy professionals to pinpoint the non-cost barriers delaying clean energy deployment today and offers practical solutions to help get projects over the finish line. Read Third Way's full report, and learn more about their PACE initiative, at www.thirdway.org/pace.

Will inference move to the edge? Dec 18, 2025

Show notes

Today virtually all AI compute takes place in centralized data centers, driving the demand for massive power infrastructure.

But as workloads shift from training to inference, and AI applications become more latency-sensitive (autonomous vehicles, anyone?), there‘s another pathway: migrating a portion of inference from centralized computing to the edge. Instead of a gigawatt-scale data center in a remote location, we might see a fleet of smaller data centers clustered around an urban core. Some inference might even shift to our devices.

So how likely is a shift like this, and what would need to happen for it to substantially reshape AI power?

In this episode, Shayle talks to Dr. Ben Lee, a professor of electrical engineering and computer science at the University of Pennsylvania, as well as a visiting researcher at Google. Shayle and Ben cover topics like:

The three main categories of compute: hyperscale, edge, and on-device
Why training is unlikely to move from hyperscale
The low latency demands of new applications like autonomous vehicles
How generative AI is training us to tolerate longer latencies
Why distributed inference doesn‘t face the same technical challenges as distributed training
Why consumer devices may limit model capability

Resources:

ACM SIGMETRICS Performance Evaluation Review: A Case Study of Environmental Footprints for Generative AI Inference: Cloud versus Edge
Internet of Things and Cyber-Physical Systems: Edge AI: A survey

Credits: Hosted by Shayle Kann. Produced and edited by Daniel Woldorff. Original music and engineering by Sean Marquand. Stephen Lacey is our executive editor.

Can AI revolutionize EPC? Dec 11, 2025

Show notes

Big construction projects in the U.S. are notoriously unpredictable, often finishing over budget and behind schedule. Part of the problem is the inherent complexity of these kinds of projects, like data centers and first-of-a-kind plants. But there’s another problem: the companies that actually build these projects — called EPC firms for engineering, procurement, and construction — often lack strong incentives to control costs or deliver on time.

That’s the thesis behind Unlimited Industries, a new startup focused on using AI to develop multiple project designs upfront and reduce project risks. So what would it take to actually cut costs and shorten construction timelines?

In this episode, Shayle talks to Alex Modon, co-founder and CEO of Unlimited Industries. The company recently announced a $12 million fundraise as it emerged from stealth. Shayle and Alex cover topics like:

How EPC incentives and contract structures drive cost overruns

Why bespoke projects prevent learning and standardization

The role software and AI can play in design and risk reduction EPC

Managing risks – including geopolitics, contractor reliability, and supply chains

Resources:

Catalyst: FOAK tales

The Green Blueprint: Shortening the nuclear development cycle from decades to years

Catalyst: The cost of nuclear

Credits: Hosted by Shayle Kann. Produced and edited by Daniel Woldorff. Original music and engineering by Sean Marquand. Stephen Lacey is our executive editor.

Who benefits from the AI power bottleneck? Dec 04, 2025

Show notes

The bottleneck holding back AI is a scarcity of power, or so goes the story. That may be true — and plenty of reporting backs it up — but different actors in the space face varying incentives to play up or play down that narrative.

So what incentives are at play, and how do they shape each player's story?

In this episode, Shayle talks to Shanu Mathew, senior vice president and portfolio manager-analyst for U.S, sustainable equity at Lazard. Last month on X, he posted a breakdown of the actors — including hyperscalers, chip makers, utilities, and others – and how the different incentives they face shape how they talk about energy and AI. They cover topics like:

Hyperscalers’ mixed incentives: the benefits of building their own capacity vs encouraging others to overbuild
Why equipment makers, chipmakers, and land developers benefit from talking up the bottleneck to boost demand for their services
How independent power producers and gas players benefit from high prices
How the power-bottleneck narrative has shifted over time

Resources:

Latitude Media: ERCOT’s large load queue has nearly quadrupled in a single year
Latitude Media: The power bottleneck is changing data center financing
Latitude Media: Early-stage data centers are driving up US power demand forecasts

Credits: Hosted by Shayle Kann. Produced and edited by Daniel Woldorff. Original music and engineering by Sean Marquand. Stephen Lacey is our executive editor.

Looking for a turnaround in transmission Nov 20, 2025

Show notes

After years of stalled transmission buildout, there are new signs of progress. Earlier this month, SPP approved $8.6 billion in transmission projects across 14 states. Major plans are emerging in MISO, PJM, and ERCOT. Despite the DOE canceling its loan guarantee, the Grain Belt Express is still moving forward. And regardless of court battles, so is the New England Clean Energy Connect.

Are these signs that the U.S. could start building transmission at scale again?

In this episode, Shayle talks to Rob Gramlich, founder and president of Grid Strategies. He and Shayle cover topics like:

Why Rob says the DOE’s efforts to fast-track large-load interconnection is a positive sign for transmission buildout

The recent buildout of 880 miles of transmission and why it may look better than it is

Why transmission hasn’t benefited from data center investment

Specific projects, including SPP’s transmission backbone and the Grain Belt Express

Rob’s outlook on buildout over the coming year

The uncertain future of permitting reform despite bipartisan support

Resources:

Catalyst: Unpacking DOE’s proposal to transform data center interconnection

Latitude Media: How the Grain Belt Express lost its LPO loan

E&E News: Data center growth cited in defense of MISO transmission plan

Fill out our short podcast listener survey for a chance to win a $100 Amazon gift card.

Credits: Hosted by Shayle Kann. Produced and edited by Daniel Woldorff. Original music and engineering by Sean Marquand. Stephen Lacey is our executive editor.

Catalyst is brought to you by EnergyHub. EnergyHub helps utilities build next-generation virtual power plants that unlock reliable flexibility at every level of the grid. See how EnergyHub helps unlock the power of flexibility at scale, and deliver more value through cross-DER dispatch with their leading Edge DERMS platform, by visiting energyhub.com.
Catalyst is brought to you by Bloom Energy. AI data centers can’t wait years for grid power—and with Bloom Energy’s fuel cells, they don’t have to. Bloom Energy delivers affordable, always-on, ultra-reliable onsite power, built for chipmakers, hyperscalers, and data center leaders looking to power their operations at AI speed. Learn more by visiting BloomEnergy.com.

New Mexico proves America can still build [partner content] Nov 18, 2025

Show notes

Across the country, people are asking the same question: why is it so hard to build in America?

From transmission lines to clean energy factories, projects are taking longer, costs are rising, and frustration is growing. But in New Mexico, two cabinet secretaries are trying to show that it doesn’t have to be this way.

Together, Economic Development Secretary Rob Black and Environment Secretary Jim Kenney are helping redefine how state agencies work with industry. Their model blends speed, access, and careful environmental oversight to help companies build more quickly without cutting corners.

Together, they’re using that model to attract billion-dollar fusion and geothermal projects, expand water and infrastructure investments, and deploy the state’s $65 billion sovereign wealth fund directly into advanced energy and deep-tech manufacturing.

In this episode, Stephen Lacey talks with Rob Black and Jim Kenney about how New Mexico is rewriting the rules of economic development, and what their partnership can teach the rest of America about how to make government work again.

This is a partner episode, produced in collaboration with the New Mexico Economic Development Department, which works to expand opportunity through innovation, infrastructure, and investment across the state.

Driving down the cost of green hydrogen Nov 13, 2025

Show notes

A few years ago, industry and political leaders embraced hydrogen as a solution to a laundry list of hard-to-abate decarbonization challenges — steel production, ammonia production, and more. But hydrogen failed to come down in costs and policymakers pulled back support. Ultimately, the bubble burst.

So what does it take to drive down the costs of low-carbon hydrogen and rebuild momentum?

In this episode, Shayle talks to Raffi Garabedian, co-founder and CEO of Electric Hydrogen. (Shayle is on the board of Electric Hydrogen and Energy Impact Partners, where Shayle is a partner, invests in the company). Shayle and Raffi cover topics like:

Why the hype bubble burst: political pullback, high renewables costs driven by AI demand, and high CapEx

The real cost problem: Why engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) costs have remained persistently high

Competing approaches: Why Electric Hydrogen chose supersized electrolyzers over modular units

The China question: Why hydrogen’s EPC costs will limit the impact of cheap Chinese electrolyzers

Real numbers: Realistic cost targets for fossil parity and Electric Hydrogen’s current pricing

Where hydrogen wins: Markets where Raffi says green hydrogen can achieve fossil parity by the early 2030s, including Brazilian fertilizer

Resources:

Latitude Media: is 45v guidance killing green hydrogen production?

The Green Blueprint: Electric Hydrogen’s bet on supersized electrolyzers

Latitude Media: Electric Hydrogen is building through the market downturn

Latitude Media: Hydrogen’s narrow pathway to positive climate impacts

Latitude Media: Why the Electric Hydrogen-Ambient merger is a sign of things to come

Fill out our short podcast listener survey for a chance to win a $100 Amazon gift card.

Credits: Hosted by Shayle Kann. Produced and edited by Daniel Woldorff. Original music and engineering by Sean Marquand. Stephen Lacey is our executive editor.

Inside a $300 million bet on AI for physical R&D Nov 06, 2025

Show notes

A big problem with using artificial intelligence to discover new materials? It struggles to predict beyond its training data. That means AI might be better at optimizing known materials than discovering entirely new ones — like a room temperature superconductor or carbon-capture sorbents.

But since we last covered the topic in September 2024, a few things have changed. OpenAI released its powerful O1 reasoning model. Large language models have also gotten better at math, physics, and coding. And lab automation — robots mixing liquids and powders, running characterization tests — has improved, allowing for a higher volume of experiments.

So, can these improvements overcome AI’s training data problem?

In this episode, Shayle talks to Ekin Dogus Cubuk, cofounder of Periodic Labs, which raised $300 million seed round in September. Last year, Dogus took a more cautious view on using AI for materials discovery. Now though, he’s convinced there’s a clearer path forward for physical science research and development, especially materials discovery. Shayle and Dogus cover topics like:

Creating experimental and synthetic data to overcome AI’s limitations of predicting beyond its training set

Why we should focus on breakthrough discoveries over easier, incremental wins

The different roles humans and AI play in the discovery process

Period’s focus on automated experimental labs using AI-generated hypotheses

Resources:

Catalyst: Can AI revolutionize materials discovery?

Latitude Media: This ‘superintelligence platform’ just raised $200m in seed funding

Latitude Media: Can AI get us closer to fusion?

The New York Times: Top A.I. Researchers Leave OpenAI, Google and Meta for New Start-Up

Credits: Hosted by Shayle Kann. Produced and edited by Daniel Woldorff. Original music and engineering by Sean Marquand. Stephen Lacey is our executive editor.

Unpacking DOE's proposal to transform data center interconnection Oct 30, 2025

Show notes

Last Thursday, Energy Secretary Chris Wright directed the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to consider rulemaking to fast-track interconnection for large loads — as long as they agree to be curtailable or colocate with dispatchable generation.

So what does this proposal actually mean for interconnection?

In this episode, Shayle talks with Allison Clements, former FERC commissioner and current partner with digital infrastructure advisory firm ASG. Allison is also principal of 804 Advisory. Shayle also talks with Tyler Norris, doctoral student at Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment. Allison, Tyler, and Shayle cover topics like:

How the proposal would standardize interconnection procedures for certain large loads, with study periods no longer than 60 days

The jurisdictional shift: asserting federal authority over a process traditionally under state purview

The types of eligible loads, including traditional data centers as well as ones that colocate with generation, also known as “hybrid facilities”

The duration of flexibility and whether 2-hour, 4-hour, or longer durations are needed for curtailment

Whether flexibility resources should be behind-the-meter or front-of-meter

The potential disadvantages for bring-your-own-supply or bring-your-own-VPP

Resources:

Latitude Media: Wright directs FERC to fast track large load interconnection

Latitude Media: How the world’s first flexible AI factory will work in tandem with the grid

Latitude Media: OpenAI pushes the White House to invest in the grid to compete with China

E3: Demand Response as a Capacity Resource in SPP’s Era of Data Center Growth

Canary Media: In a first, a data center is using a big battery to get online faster

Credits: Hosted by Shayle Kann. Produced and edited by Daniel Woldorff. Original music and engineering by Sean Marquand. Stephen Lacey is our executive editor.

Five big questions about the future of energy Oct 23, 2025

Show notes

We’ve covered AI’s massive power appetite in depth over the past year – with good reason. It’s the driving force behind much of the change and uncertainty in the energy world right now, from the error bars around our demand for electricity to the lineup of technologies vying to meet that demand.

In this episode Shayle talks to his colleague Andy Lubershane, head of research and partner at Energy Impact Partners, about five big questions arising in this uncertain load-growth environment. They cover topics like:

The underappreciated factors that could flip the supply crunch to oversupply, like algorithmic efficiency gains, on-device inference, and off-grid data centers

The winners of the AI-drive power boom, including utilities and grid equipment suppliers, and the potential losers like industry that relies on cheap power

Whether there will be a “Cambrian explosion” or consolidation of nuclear reactors designs

The prospects for enhanced geothermal after Fervo’s Cape Station comes online

The future of grid-enhancing technologies like advanced conductors and dynamic line ratings, and whether they will make it out of “utility pilot hell”

Resources:

Steel for Fuel: Why does nobody know how much energy AI will consume?

Open Circuit: How do we know if we’re in an AI bubble?

Catalyst: The US nuclear groundswell

Catalyst: How geothermal gets built

Latitude Media: In Georgia, stakeholders still can’t agree on data center load growth numbers

Credits: Hosted by Shayle Kann. Produced and edited by Daniel Woldorff. Original music and engineering by Sean Marquand. Stephen Lacey is our executive editor.

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