Peter Thiel's $418 Million Bet on Eight Companies Reveals AI's Biggest Bottleneck

Navitas Semiconductor and Microchip Technology have collaborated on an 800V DC-to-6V DC reference design for AI data center rack power applications, aligned with the Open Compute Project 800V DC standard. The platform combines Microchip's dsPIC33AK Digital Signal Controllers, TA100 CryptoAuthentication device and Navitas' GaNFast gallium nitride power devices, with the power delivery board powered by 16 NV6034, 650 V, 17 mΩ GaNFast FETs in a stacked half-bridge topology. The design targets up to 96% peak efficiency at full load with 1 MHz switching frequency, enabling a power density of 2,100 W/in³, and is approximately 20% thinner than a mobile phone, allowing close integration with the GPU board. Direct conversion from 800V DC to 6V DC combines both the 800V DC to 50V DC and 50V DC to 6V DC conversion stages into one converter for higher end-to-end efficiency. The solution will be showcased at Microchip's OCP Event taking place October 12–15, 2026, in San Jose, California, and will be supported with a reference board, software and supporting documentation.

MagPro, also known as Nanjing Xipu Technology Co., Ltd., a joint venture between CIGU Technology Corp. Ltd. and EPG Data Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., announced the launch of the AeroLev 1850, a 1.85-megawatt magnetic-bearing air-cooled chiller platform that supports operation at temperatures up to 45°C and is designed for AI data centers in markets with hot, humid climates and limited water resources, such as Thailand. At its core is an air-cooled magnetic-bearing compressor with an isentropic efficiency of up to 87%, while a patented condenser increases refrigerant subcooling by more than 3°C. These technologies improve overall energy efficiency by up to 40%, reduce failure rates by up to 8% compared with conventional oil-lubricated compressors, and cut maintenance costs by up to 10% compared with traditional chillers. General Manager William Wu said that as AI drives rising demand for computing power, operators need cooling infrastructure that can scale without increasing dependence on water resources. Alik Wan, founder and chairman of EPG Data Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., said MagPro is a significant step in the company's global cooling technology strategy.

Schneider Electric, alongside partners Wärtsilä and Stanley Consultants, introduced a "Generator-to-Chip" power approach and unveiled software-defined medium-voltage switchgear and advanced cooling solutions for AI-driven data centers in late September 2026. The company also launched cybersecurity-focused automation for water utilities and a new decarbonization allyship with Lenovo's 360 Circle community. The software-defined medium-voltage switchgear is being deployed in AI-oriented data centers, including an Equinix pilot. Schneider Electric's narrative projects €56.4 billion revenue and €8.3 billion earnings by 2029, requiring 10.3% yearly revenue growth and a €3.6 billion earnings increase from €4.7 billion today. The forecasts yield a €325.04 fair value, a 7% upside to its current price.

Vertiv Holdings Co. issued third-quarter 2026 guidance calling for net sales of $3.65 billion to $3.85 billion and adjusted earnings of $1.77 to $1.83 per share, with adjusted operating profit projected between $898 million and $938 million and an adjusted operating margin of 24% to 25%. The guidance follows a second quarter of 2026 in which net sales rose 24% year over year, with the Americas and APAC each growing 29%, and adjusted operating margin reached 22.6%, up 410 basis points year over year and above prior guidance. Management raised its full-year 2026 adjusted operating margin guidance to 23.3%-24.3%, citing organic growth, operating leverage and productivity, and said it expects pricing to exceed inflation including current tariffs and countermeasures. Acquisitions contributed 5% of second-quarter 2026 revenues, and Vertiv recently agreed to acquire King Environmental Services, a Europe-based provider of fluid management, commissioning and load-testing services for high-density liquid-cooled data centers, in a transaction expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2026. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for third-quarter 2026 revenues is $3.77 billion, implying growth of 40.79% year over year, while the consensus earnings estimate stands at $1.83 per share, up 0.75% over the past 30 days and implying a year-over-year increase of 47.58%.

Vertiv Holdings Co. is positioned to beat consensus estimates again in its next quarterly report, according to Zacks Investment Research. The company has beaten estimates in each of its last two quarters, with an average surprise of 10.50%. In the most recent quarter, Vertiv reported $1.52 per share against an expected $1.43, a surprise of 6.29%, after posting $1.17 per share versus a $1.02 consensus in the prior quarter, a surprise of 14.71%. Vertiv currently carries a Zacks Earnings ESP of +6.20% and a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), a combination Zacks research shows produces a positive surprise nearly 70% of the time.

Singapore-founded neocloud Aolani announced a partnership with Karman, formerly known as Utilidata, to squeeze more AI compute out of its existing power supply through advanced power orchestration. Under the deal, Aolani will integrate the Karman platform, a dynamic power orchestration system built on a custom NVIDIA Jetson Orin Nano that combines high-resolution metrology with local processing and AI, into its infrastructure stack to measure and dynamically allocate available power across high-density GPU workloads and manage rack-level energy consumption in real time. The joint proof of concept will be deployed on the NVIDIA Blackwell Platform. Karman's platform has already unlocked 33% more compute capacity from existing power infrastructure at its first commercial deployment in North America, potentially translating into a $20M increase in revenue per 1 MW, and the company says it increases tokens per watt by 50% by unlocking stranded power. Aolani CEO Nicholas Chia said the partnership improves the economics of AI workloads and lets customers scale without waiting on the grid, while Karman CEO Josh Brumberger said the two will demonstrate how the platform can fully utilize power already available to data center operators and cloud providers.