Emerald AI raises $22.7M, new SEC filing reports

A startup focused on the fast-growing data center industry and with a major presence in Arlington County has raised about $22.7 million in new funding, according to a Feb. 20 filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Emerald AI, which was incorporated last year in Washington, D.C., but has its primary offices in Clarendon, raised the capital from 20 investors. The company declined to comment on the investment.

Founded in 2020, Emerald AI aims to address the growing concern that data centers are consuming too much energy. Its Emerald Conductor software platform enables data centers to adjust and reduce energy consumption during peak grid demand, supporting grid stability while maintaining acceptable AI computing performance.
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The company emerged from stealth in summer 2025 with $24.5 million in seed funding and is backed by major investors like Nvidia and Google executive Jeff Dean. The company’s founder and CEO is Varun Sivaram, formerly chief strategy and innovation officer for global offshore wind energy company Orsted and also former chief technology officer for ReNew, the largest renewable energy company in India.

Last year, Emerald AI released results from a May 2025 demonstration conducted in Phoenix as part of the Electric Power Research Institute’s DCFlex Initiative. Nvidia reported that Emerald AI’s Conductor platform reduced AI workload power consumption by 25% for three hours in response to a grid stress event, such as a hot summer day when energy demand is high, while maintaining computing service quality.

Sivaram previously stated that the company’s long-term objective is to strengthen America’s position in the AI race by freeing up the power needed to drive innovation, while ensuring energy remains sustainable and affordable for customers.