Layer 1 · Where the power comes from
Behind-the-meter generation
Operators co-locating directly with a generator and bypassing transmission entirely.
The shape of it
- Lead time
- Depends on the generation, but it skips the queue
- Capital cost
- Generation cost plus site integration
- Carbon
- Whatever you build
- Maturity
- proven
Verified 2026-09-09.
The catch
Regulators have noticed. Several jurisdictions are actively revisiting whether large loads can sit behind the meter without paying transmission cost, and the rules may change under a live project.
What it actually decides
The main legitimate way to avoid a five-year queue. Also the option with the most regulatory uncertainty attached.
What this is powering
A GB200 NVL72 rack draws 120–132 kW and a GB300 pushes 135–200 kW, against a 2026 average rack of about 27 kW. The silicon decision and the power decision are the same decision, made eighteen months apart.
Layer 2 — Silicon · GB200 NVL72 · The 150 W inference option
Weighed against
- Behind-the-meter generation vs Grid interconnection — Skip the queue and take the regulatory risk, or wait five years and take none.
- Demand response and curtailable load vs Behind-the-meter generation — Two ways to get connected sooner: agree to use less, or avoid the wires entirely.
Others in where the power comes from
- Grid interconnection — 4-5 years typical, approaching 5 on average
- Nuclear PPA (existing plants) — 1-3 years to contract; the plant already exists
- Small modular reactors (SMR) — 2030s for meaningful capacity
- On-site natural gas turbines — 12-24 months, the fastest firm power available
- Solar + battery storage — 18-36 months
- Wind PPA — 24-48 months
Want this whole layer as one table?
The power and cooling options on these pages as a single CSV — lead time, capex, carbon, maturity, density supported, PUE, the catch and what each one decides — ready to sort, filter or load into a notebook.
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