With power demands for AI continuing to surge, data center operators are fighting to secure power quickly and reliably. The journey, however, doesn’t always now start with the grid.. Historically, developers selected a site based on fiber connectivity, line availability, incentives, and access to a strong workforce.
Now, according to Cummins VP for power generation, Stiven Smith, grid connection delays have led to a wide industry rethink.. “The first question developers ask now is ‘how quickly can I secure power?’ When the grid tells them they need to wait five to seven years, they decide to take things under their own control,” he explains during a recent DCD>Talk.
“The trend is: let’s secure power now and connect to the grid later.”. Cummins specializes in diesel and alternative fuel engines and generators. Smith is responsible for leading a team to solve prime power needs using natural gas and microgrids, integrating solar panels and battery energy storage systems (BESS).. “The ‘bring-your-own-power’ model is paramount.
You can decide when to turn it on, how to maintain it, and how to scale it” Stiven Smith, Cummins. What he’s witnessing now is other technologies emerging in recent years, as AI hyperscalers and colocation data centers started to consider natural gas prime power for their solutions.
Within this, the development of on-site prime power solutions has become central to data center power strategies.. “Specifically for AI data centers, workloads are fluctuating and huge,” he says. “Power is needed now.”.
The path to success for AI data centers depends on how quickly power can be secured, rather than depending on utilities, Smith adds. He advocates for alternative solutions, including behind-the-meter (BTM).. “The ‘bring-your-own-power’ model is paramount.
You can decide when to turn it on, how to maintain it, and how to scale it,” he says. “In the US specifically, we are one of the four largest natural gas producers. Not only that, but we can extract it, compress it, and transport it.
There is an extensive network across some states, so it’s a relatively cheap fuel source.”. He advocates for natural gas as the answer to 24/7 data center operations – and their ability to respond to current industry demands. In line with this, Cummins recently announced a new large-megawatt natural gas platform, which came after the company recognized a need from its customers and the wider market..
“Natural gas prime power technology isn’t new to us,” explains Smith. “The platform is moving to a 3.3MW generator … and is a continuation of our portfolio, based on understanding where the market will evolve in the future.”. Cummins’ platform is mainly designed to speed up time-to-power and accelerate deployment.
The company is using an existing platform and scaling it with a longer cylinder block and additional cylinder heads, Smith explains.. “To address grid interconnection delays, the generator can be scaled from hundreds of megawatts to potentially gigawatts,” he adds. “You have that flexibility with the footprint.”.
The platform also enables fast integration into microgrids and BTM requests, in addition to its ability to work in parallel with hybrid energy architectures.. “We currently have an extensive network of branches in every major city across the US,” Smith says. “That allows us to leverage proven natural gas technology with the ability to service and maintain it over the long term and provide an answer to the market.”. “Natural gas is the primary answer now, but we expect more diversification in the future” Stiven Smith, Cummins.
With consistent power the urgent need, Smith views data center power solutions migrating towards a more diversified energy portfolio – as the technology evolves to optimize chips.. “We’re learning every day,” he shares. “We understand we need to provide a base load of power and there are spikes in AI requests from chips.
These are very large and still evolving, it’s almost impossible that one single technology will be able to meet every requirement.”. To secure power via natural gas, Cummins uses BESS to help regulate the load. Combining the two technologies with natural gas turbines means the turbines manage a portion of the base load, generators handle a second base load, and batteries manage the third and more fluctuating part..
Looking ahead, Smith foresees nuclear technologies one day entering the mix too.. “It’s a dynamic and evolving market. Natural gas is the primary answer now, but we expect more diversification in the future,” he says.
“In my opinion, the winners will be companies that truly understand this complexity and can architect resilient solutions that are also economically attractive for developers.”. For operators looking to the future, he encourages them to secure power early, consider flexibility, to think about hybrid energy systems, and avoid losing sight of maintenance..
“Think beyond immediate power needs,” he adds. “There should be the ability to scale … and become more resilient. You’re no longer depending on just one source; you’re pulling several resources together into a single solution.”.
Click here to listen to the full DCD>Talks interview with Stiven Smith.. 27 Aug 2026. 26 Jun 2026
