As AI's energy demands exceed grid capacity, wave power technology powered by NVIDIA is emerging as a scalable renewable
The next era of artificial intelligence will not be defined by compute alone, but by energy. As accelerated computing scales across AI factories, agentic AI, industrial AI, edge computing and physical AI including robotics and autonomous systems, global electricity demand is rising at unprecedented speed. In many regions, expanding grid infrastructure requires years of permitting, transmission upgrades, land acquisition and capital investment, fundamentally reshaping how the world approaches energy infrastructure for AI.
Eco Wave Power, a member of NVIDIA's Inception startup program's Sustainable Futures initiative, is developing technology powered by NVIDIA AI infrastructure and digital twins that converts energy from ocean waves into clean electricity using existing marine infrastructure. By deploying wave energy generation closer to areas with growing power demand such as ports, industrial zones and future AI infrastructure hubs, the company addresses a critical bottleneck.
According to Inna Braverman, cofounder and CEO of Eco Wave Power, wave energy represents one of the largest renewable energy sources available. The U.S. alone could produce over 60 percent of annual energy consumption from wave energy, according to the Energy Information Administration. The approach uses noninvasive floating infrastructure attached to breakwaters or sea walls to capture the power generated by waves breaking against the shoreline. Because seawater density is roughly 800 times that of air, much larger amounts of energy can be generated using smaller devices than wind turbines.
Eco Wave Power's key innovation is placing computers, sensors, hydraulic conversion and electric components on land rather than in the floaters themselves, keeping expensive hardware dry and safe from storms. Unlike previous wave energy companies that faced bottlenecks managing power from equipment mounted on the floaters, this approach eliminates damage risks from rough currents. Braverman noted that wave energy is the least intermittent renewable source available. Solar energy faces challenges from night, winter, cloud coverage and pollution, whereas wave energy can generate electricity around the clock.
Digital twins of wave patterns and floating infrastructure, built with NVIDIA Omniverse libraries, simulate wave conditions, structural behavior, deployment configurations and operational scenarios before physical installation. These virtual environments optimize engineering decisions, reduce deployment risk and accelerate infrastructure planning. At the operational layer, NVIDIA accelerated computing and AI technologies enable real-time optimization through predictive analytics, anomaly detection, environmental forecasting and predictive maintenance. AI can also align energy-intensive compute workloads with periods of stronger renewable generation.
Eco Wave Power currently operates projects in Jaffa Port, Israel in collaboration with EDF Power Solutions and the Israeli Energy Ministry, and in the Port of Los Angeles developed with AltaSea and Shell. The company is developing new projects in Portugal at the Port of Leixões, Suao Port in Taiwan, and Mumbai, India with Bharat Petroleum. Pilots already underway at the Port of Los Angeles demonstrate how wave energy can be the sole power source for a data center without tapping into existing grid energy. AI software serves as the control layer for this pilot, planning compute tasks based on available power supply and predicting when waves will be stronger throughout the week based on weather patterns to allocate more intensive compute tasks accordingly. Braverman emphasized that the company works, is grid connected today, and possesses abundant renewable resources needed now. She highlighted that the innovation is not futuristic but practical, setting Eco Wave Power apart in meeting immediate energy demands for AI infrastructure.