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Continuing from the last post, I asked Troy whether those AI data centers, big tech companies, and hyperscalers had given any feedback yet. He said they’re extremely eager. “Just this week, we were invited to bid on a 5-km project from one of the world’s largest tech companies; several well-known AI hyperscalers have also visited our site many times — mainly those based in San Francisco and Seattle. They’ve been sending teams of engineers in batches. Right now, everyone’s waiting for our tunnel robot field test, which will start in three weeks.” I said, “That’s exactly the case of ‘time... Continue reading

The Closest I’ve Ever Been to Changing the World (8) — A Supergrid Underground Globally? Continuing from the last post, I told him I found it strange that in the infrastructure industry, the returns I’ve seen are only around 6%–9%, which feels too flat. If the opportunity is so big, why are traditional returns so low, yet so much capital is still pouring in? He said, “The 6%–9% you’re talking about refers to traditional infrastructure projects like wind or solar — unlevered returns are usually around 7%–9%, very stable but indeed not high. If you add leverage, it can reach... Continue reading

Continuing from the last post, Troy said they now have two business models. The first is called the BOOM model — Build, Own, Operate and Maintain. It’s essentially a real estate developer model: they dig the tunnels themselves and own the properties, just like building highways underground, and anyone/anything that pass through the tunnel has to pay. He said they currently have three private underground transmission projects using this model, which can deliver 6 gigawatts of clean energy to the grid, and they’re planning to expand to Europe and Asia afterward. I asked, “Is 6 gigawatts a lot?” He chuckled:... Continue reading

Continuing from the last post, I asked, “So are you still pre-revenue, or do you already have some revenue?” He said, “We do have revenue right now, but very little. Our R&D took about seven to eight years, and our first excavation system was only officially commercialized three months ago, which is why we just started to generate revenue. So far, we’ve generated around $500K in revenue, all from smaller projects. We’re currently bidding on seven projects, and one of them is in San Francisco, and another in Europe for one of the largest tech companies in the world (everyone... Continue reading