100x Engineers
May 31, 2026
TL;DR
Nvidia partners with SPAN to install liquid-cooled mini data centers in home backyards, paying customers $1000 while covering electricity and internet bills in exchange for AI inference compute capacity.
“The average American home is wired for 200 amps, but only uses about 40% of that. So, all that extra electrical capacity just sits there completely unused.”
“SPAN says 8,000 of these units combined match a full 100 megawatt data center deployed six times faster and at 1/5 the cost.”
“AI companies can't build data centers fast enough because of power shortages and permitting delays. So instead of fighting cities, they're going neighborhood by neighborhood.”
1. SPAN's Home Data Center Program
SPAN, a California startup partnering with Nvidia and homebuilder Pulte Group, installs mini liquid-cooled data center units in residential backyards at no upfront cost to homeowners.
2. Residential Electricity Infrastructure Opportunity
Average American homes are wired for 200 amps but only use about 40%, leaving significant unused electrical capacity that can power the mini data centers.
3. Homeowner Economics
Homeowners receive $1000 for installation, have all electricity and internet bills covered, and pay a flat $150/month fee—potentially saving thousands annually.
4. Technical Specifications and AI Workload
Each unit houses 16 Nvidia Blackwell GPUs running real AI inference work for cloud companies, with liquid cooling to handle the thermal load.
5. Distributed Data Center Advantages
8,000 home units collectively match a full 100 megawatt data center, deploying 6 times faster and at 1/5 the cost by circumventing power shortages and municipal permitting delays.