Hitachi is GE Vernova's partner in small modular reactors. They are also a major manufacturer of power generation turbines and electrical transformers.* GEV should probably try to buy them, though I'm not sure the Japanese government would allow it.
From Asia Times via MENAFN, October 4:
Hitachi, the Japanese industrial conglomerate, is taking its advance into digital technology to the next stage with an“AI factory” based on Nvidia processors and a tie-up with OpenAI. The company is also expanding its manufacturing operations in the US.
On October 2, Hitachi wrote on X :“Hitachi CEO Toshiaki Tokunaga met @OpenAI CEO Sam Altman in Tokyo today. We signed a landmark MoU to collaborate on sustainable and plentiful energy to power the growth of AI in our society. This is a significant development, a big step forward for the future of #genAI @sama [the honorable Sam Altman].”
Under the agreement, Hitachi will supply OpenAI data centers with energy-efficient electric power transmission and distribution equipment, along with water cooling and air conditioning systems. OpenAI will provide its large language model (LLM) technology to Hitachi, which will incorporate it into its digital services portfolio.
High energy consumption is one of the most serious challenges confronting OpenAI, Microsoft and other builders of AI data centers.
According to a Bloomberg study, US wholesale electricity prices have more than doubled since 2020 in areas near data centers, and the situation will only get worse as electric power demand from data centers is expected to double to 9% of total US electricity demand by 2035....
- Hitachi invests over $1 billion in U.S. manufacturing and innovation, including a $457 million transformer facility in Virginia, a $100 million digital railcar factory in Maryland and a $72.8 million industrial automation headquarters in Michigan....
Powering America's Energy Future: Hitachi Energy announced a historic $1 billion USD investment to expand U.S. manufacturing of critical electrical grid infrastructure. This includes a $457 million power transformer facility in South Boston, Virginia—the largest of its kind in the nation—alongside expansions of existing facilities nationwide. As part of this investment, Hitachi Energy is also committing $106 million to expanding its transformer components facility in Alamo, Tennessee, $22.5 million to expand and modernize its dry-type transformer operations in Southwest Virginia, and $70 million to bolstering its high-voltage components manufacturing footprint in and around Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania. Collectively, these projects will create thousands of high-paying jobs, including nearly 950 jobs in Virginia, 100 new positions in Tennessee and 100 more in Pennsylvania. This investment is integral to bolstering the resilience of the U.S. electrical grid and ensuring reliable access to the transformers and critical high-voltage equipment required to support AI data centers, renewable energy, and industrial growth....
