SPAN plans mini AI data centers for US homes
SPAN, a startup based in San Francisco, has unveiled a novel distributed data center approach that will deploy thousands of XFRA nodes within residential areas. Each node is equipped with liquid-cooled Nvidia RTX Pro 6000 Blackwell Server Edition GPUs, operating quietly. Homeowners who host a node will benefit from subsidized electricity, internet service, and backup batteries. Currently, SPAN is conducting pilot tests in preparation for a 100-home trial later this year. The company's objective is to rapidly enhance computing capabilities for AI tasks by utilizing surplus power from homes, thus circumventing the expenses and delays associated with constructing large-scale data centers. Chris Lander, SPAN's vice president of XFRA, emphasized that these nodes are unobtrusive and economical for both hosts and their communities, unlike traditional noisy data centers that increase local energy costs.
Key facts
- SPAN is a San Francisco startup.
- The solution deploys XFRA nodes with Nvidia RTX Pro 6000 Blackwell Server Edition GPUs.
- Nodes are liquid-cooled and operate with minimal noise.
- Homeowners get subsidized electricity, Internet, and backup batteries.
- Pilot testing is underway for a 100-home trial this year.
- The goal is to expand AI compute using excess household power.
- Chris Lander is vice president of XFRA at SPAN.
- The approach avoids costs and delays of traditional data center construction.
Entities
Institutions
- SPAN
- Nvidia
- Ars Technica
Locations
- San Francisco
- United States