Last month, Microsoft co-founder turned renowned philanthropist and futurist Bill Gates told a national audience that he suspects humans won’t be needed for “most things” within the next ten years. Artificial intelligence (AI) is poised to be a better doctor, programmer, and teacher than we could ever be, he predicts.
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But can it do the damn dishes and laundry? The verdict is still out on that, or at least the machines haven’t shown up at my doorstep asking to help (yet).
Although if one startup has its way, AI-powered machines will be doing some heavy lifting soon, potentially lending a critical hand to a solar workforce that could use an assist amidst rapid load growth. Another asserts its quantum dot technology can improve energy conversion efficiency and lower the cost-per-watt for photovoltaic (PV) panels. More energy, cheaper, and with less work? Sign me up for that AI future.
Cosmic Robotics, founded in the San Francisco Bay Area in , makes AI-powered construction technology aimed at accelerating the deployment of critical infrastructure. By equipping skilled construction teams with intelligent tools designed for real-world conditions, Cosmic believes it can help meet rising demand for clean energy while improving efficiency and expanding workforce capabilities. And the company isn’t alone in thinking that.
In a recent funding round led by Giant Ventures, with participation from MaC Venture Capital, HCVC, and prominent angel investors including Azeem Azhar, Aarthi Ramamurthy, and Nate Williams, Cosmic Robotics secured $4 million to accelerate the buildout of its vision.
Starting with utility-scale solar, the smarter-than-me hunks of nuts and bolts Cosmic builds will be deployed to tackle the hardest, slowest parts of building critical infrastructure, using robotics to bridge labor gaps and accelerate the buildout of U.S. energy infrastructure.
The U.S. must invest at least $9 trillion in infrastructure this decade, the startup points out, with almost $2 trillion required for energy infrastructure alone. Solar PV has emerged as the most scalable and cost-effective solution in most places, and particularly for powering AI data centers and other energy-intensive industries.
But labor shortages and a lack of skilled (and available) engineers limit how rapidly utility-scale projects can be built. Solar module installation can be a slow, manual process… Unless you let a robot handle it.
Cosmic’s first jobsite tool, Cosmic-1A, is purpose-built for utility-scale solar projects where speed, precision, and consistency matter most. Designed to work alongside existing installation crews, the system takes on the most physically demanding aspects of solar panel installation, cutting labor costs by up to 50% and more than doubling daily throughput, Cosmic attests.
Access to power has become the key driver of AI and data center growth, prompting the need for new solutions among utilities, developers, and other stakeholders. This demand growth will test grid reliability, requiring new ways of collaboration and policy structures.
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Cosmic’s domain-specific AI platform, “Particle,” is a real-time decision engine built for the jobsite. It helps crews in real-time by automating QA, tracking assets, and routing workflows to keep jobs moving, laying the groundwork for fully autonomous construction. Cosmic’s AI-powered tools use multi-modal sensors and advanced AI-perception software to adapt to the sometimes-unexpected challenges of real-world construction and claim to operate reliably in dust, heat, rain, mud, and more.
“Construction is the foundation of society—every road, power plant, and data center is built by expert hands in the field,” offered James Emerick, CEO and co-founder of Cosmic Robotics. “I grew up on construction sites with my grandfather, and most of the tools he used 50 years ago are still in use today. At Cosmic, we’re building the next generation of construction tools, designed to make exceptional crews even more productive—unlocking efficiency gains the industry desperately needs.”
“The more systems we deploy, the more data we collect, strengthening the data flywheel that will transform how critical infrastructure is built,” Emerick added.
“Robotics is at an exciting inflection point, with enormous potential to transform how we build critical infrastructure at scale,” said Madelene Larsson, Principal at Giant Ventures, which led Cosmic’s recent funding round.
Cosmic Robotics was previously recognized with the U.S. Department of Energy’s American-Made Solar Prize and funding from the JLL Foundation. With the new influx of cash, the startup says it’s now gearing up to bring Cosmic-1A to some of the most ambitious infrastructure projects in the country.
If AI-driven construction equipment isn’t your idea of fun, perhaps you’d prefer a technological innovation positioned to make solar PV more efficient and cost-effective?
UbiQD (pronounced “ubiquity”), a quantum dot (QD) manufacturer founded in , enables products to harness the power of color and light. Its greenhouse technology, UbiGro, uses fluorescence to create a more optimal greenhouse spectrum for crops. Headquartered in Los Alamos, New Mexico, UbiQD is licensing technology developed at notable research institutions, including Los Alamos National Laboratory and M.I.T.
This week, UbiQD announced the close of its $20 million Series B financing round, led by Phoenix Venture Partners with participation from Builders VC, Azura Group, Builders Vision, Stout Street Capital, Seraph Partners, Scout Ventures, New Mexico Vintage Fund, and others.
UbiQD believes its proprietary QD tech can revolutionize light utilization in greenhouse agriculture, solar energy, security, and other critical industries by enhancing the efficiency, durability, and sustainability of fluorescence in such applications.
The company’s innovations were recognized with the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, awarded for the discovery and development of quantum dots. Some of UbiQD’s core intellectual property includes one of the Nobel laureates as an inventor. Tiny nanocrystals, whose properties change based on their size, have opened new possibilities in light optimization, with applications ranging from solar, display, security, medicine, agriculture, design, and more.
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Funding from the Series B will be used to scale up manufacturing, expand R&D capabilities, strengthen intellectual property, enhance marketing efforts, and support working capital needs. UbiQD is also making significant upgrades to its existing facilities in Los Alamos, and new infrastructure is planned as part of its broader expansion strategy. A key milestone in UbiQD’s growth roadmap includes plans to build the globe’s largest and most efficient QD supply chain.
“Every major advancement in the history of humankind has been underpinned by materials innovation but unlocked by manufacturing scale, from the iron age to the semiconductor age,” stated Hunter McDaniel, PhD, founder and CEO of UbiQD. “Quantum dots provide an excellent example of this, being at the heart of an ongoing nano and quantum-technological revolution.”
For solar manufacturers, quantum dots can improve energy conversion efficiency, ultimately lowering the cost-per-watt for photovoltaic panels. In February , UbiQD announced the acquisition of Blue Dot Photonics, a company specializing in enhancing solar module performance using perovskite-based quantum-cutting materials. With this acquisition, UbiQD thinks it is uniquely positioned to drive down costs and accelerate the adoption of next-generation solar technologies.
“This is far more than a scientific milestone—it’s a material breakthrough with transformative commercial potential,” said Jim Kim, General Partner at Builders VC. “The outlook is incredibly bright.”
America needs more energy sources and we need them now—especially as new AI data centers that use massive amounts of energy are popping up across the country. While solar farms are being built nationwide to help meet rising energy demands, humans can’t build energy production facilities fast enough.
That's a job for Maximo: an AI-powered robot proving to be an MVP to solar construction crews.
Maximo—nicknamed Max—was created to do all the heavy lifting of building a solar farm. We mean that literally: Max moves and installs solar modules that are 6.5 x 3.25 feet long and weigh over 60 pounds. The solar-friendly robot was created by global energy company AES, which developed the smart technology for Maximo in partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS).
Max was developed to increase the speed, safety, and cost efficiency of solar farm construction. The robot has a long arm that lifts solar panels, so workers don’t have to handle heavy, awkward-shaped modules or work high off the ground. Max also has no issue working in conditions such as high heat or low visibility. Max deploys solar panels “in half the time at half the cost,” according to AES.
Max moves on its own, using AI features such as computer vision and smart sensors to move and place panels with precision, as well as make decisions based on real-time construction intelligence. Its ultrasonic sensors can also detect human activity and trigger an automatic stop to ensure safety.
Image: AES
The robot has so far already helped build a handful of utility-scale solar farms, but what powers Maximo? According to AES, Max runs on a “mobile microgrid,” using lithium-ion iron phosphate batteries. AC/DC inverters and phase converters are also tapped to run its larger components.
Max is run by a two-person crew—one person drives the operating system and the other monitors the machine while it’s working, and checks its progress as the robot installs each row of panels, according to AES.
Max first put its wheels on the ground at the Oak Ridge Solar Farm in Louisiana, a project backed by Amazon. It’s currently working on another Amazon-supported project called Bellefield—the largest solar-plus-storage project in the U.S. to date.
“AI is a critical tool that is already helping us develop sustainability solutions and address climate change at scale," an Amazon spokesperson told EnergySage. "As society’s energy needs grow, the demand for new solar and wind projects is also increasing, and we’re excited to collaborate with renewable energy developers like AES that are bringing new renewables to the grid, and prioritizing innovative technologies that can help accelerate those efforts.”
AES says that Maximo has already helped install nearly 10 megawatts (MW) of solar power and is projected to install another 100 MW in . The company expects to use Maximo to build up to 5 gigawatts of solar through , according to its website.
Not necessarily— the robot is actually helping the solar job shortage in the long run, according to AES.
The National Solar Jobs Census has reported annually on the shortage of trained, solar workers to meet demand for new installations. In the most recent survey from , 29% of solar firms reported it was “very difficult” to hire qualified workers. Meanwhile, the Bureau of Labor and Statistics reports that solar installer employment is projected to grow 48% annually through , with roughly 4,100 job openings per year.
Using Max means less time in the desert heat for work crews and faster delivery of renewable energy, AES says.
As America’s reliance on renewable forms of energy—and the workers that build those power sources—continues to grow, Max may help fill the void for certain types of jobs as clean energy sources become more widely used across the country.
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