Two Colorado-based groups are partnering to develop power generation solutions for data centers. Liberty Energy, the Denver-based oil and gas company founded by U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright, and Vantage Data Centers (also headquartered in Denver) on January 5 announced a partnership to “develop and deliver utility-scale, high-efficiency power solutions,” presumably natural gas-fired units, for Vantage’s continued expansion of its North American portfolio.
The companies on Monday said the power generation facilities would be owned and operated by Liberty Power Innovations (LPI), a Liberty Energy company. The groups said that under the agreement, Vantage and LPI will partner to deliver up to 1 GW of power agreements between LPI and end-users of Vantage’s data centers within the next five years. That includes a reservation of 400 MW of 2027 power generation capacity, and the possibility of future generation expansion to 1 GW and beyond.
LPI is known for providing long-term power services to support cloud and artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure for the world’s largest tech companies. Vantage Data Centers operates facilities across 41 campuses on five continents, according to the company.
Vantage Data Centers last year announced an agreement with VoltaGrid, an innovative microgrid power generator, to deploy more than 1 GW of power capacity across Vantages North American data center portfolio.
‘Scalable Power is Critical’
“As demand for digital infrastructure accelerates, access to dependable, high efficiency, scalable power is critical for hyperscale growth,” said Dana Adams, president, North America at Vantage Data Centers. “Partnering with strategic organizations such as LPI strengthens our ability to deliver capacity for our customers where and when they need it, while controlling costs and growing responsibly in power-constrained markets. LPI’s ability to provide significant, near-term generation, and their long-term commitment to reliable operations, make them an ideal partner as we deliver the next wave of innovative digital infrastructure. This partnership, combined with our existing supplier relationships, puts Vantage in a unique position to support our customers.”
The companies said the collaboration between Vantage and LPI would support Vantage’s strategic capabilities to accelerate data center campus development for technology groups. They said it would enable Vantage “to rapidly deliver digital infrastructure featuring LPI’s integrated power solutions in markets where grid capacity is constrained.”
The groups added that their collaboration “will deliver power solutions that protect local communities from higher power costs and supply strain, while offering the ability to support the local grid and strengthen energy resilience when needed.”
Tim Heidel, co-founder and CEO of VEIR, a group focused on superconductive power lines that carry electricity over long distances, told POWER the scalable power and collaborative aspects of the Vantage and Liberty deal are key for the sector. “The 1-GW reservation between Liberty and Vantage is a wake-up call for the industry. It emphasizes scalable power as a primary gating factor for AI … period,” said Heidel. “We’ve reached a point where—in many cases—waiting for a traditional grid connection just isn’t an option if you want to stay competitive. It’s a total shift in the blueprint: builders are stepping up to become their own power architects, using whatever specific energy sources make sense for the site. At this scale, the entire ecosystem is being redesigned and built from the ground up.”
Heidel, an alumnus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, continued: “We’re genuinely encouraged by the level of collaboration we’re seeing in this deal and across the market broadly. In the past, these sectors worked in silos for the most part, but the sheer scale of the AI power bottleneck is forcing everyone to the table—infrastructure designers, builders, energy providers, and even local communities. This open communication and resource-idea sharing is how we will move the needle as an industry. No single company has all the answers, and seeing players like Liberty and Vantage extend themselves to find a unique, localized solution is exactly the kind of bold thinking that moves infrastructure forward.”
‘Landmark Collaboration’
“We are excited to join Vantage in this landmark collaboration to develop and deliver 1 GW or more of power for their data center campuses,” said Ron Gusek, CEO of Liberty. “With more than a decade of expertise in advanced distributed power systems, we design, build and operate tailored power solutions that address increasingly complex power demands, combining integrated engineering with real-time digital operations. Our North American platform provides the scale, reliability and operational expertise to support Vantage in this major energy infrastructure undertaking. This alliance represents a significant step forward in aligning energy and digital infrastructure to meet growing demand for AI services while setting a new standard for unprecedented scale and reliability.”
LPI features a comprehensive platform that includes Forte power generation and Tempo intelligent load management systems. The group provides long-term primary power solutions along with energy services and grid management capabilities for optimization and resiliency. Monday’s announcement noted that within data center campuses, co-located generation will connect through a dedicated distribution network, enabling high-density, AI-optimized operations. It also includes the ability to accommodate a future grid interconnect. The system can operate autonomously or leverage grid attributes to maximize efficiency and reliability.
Liberty Energy, founded in 2021, is a leading energy services company, and is one of the largest providers of completion services and technologies to onshore oil, natural gas, and enhanced geothermal energy producers in North America.
—Darrell Proctor is a senior editor for POWER.
