Can today’s power systems handle data center volatility?

From the Thrive Energy Conference, The IT Crowd Podcast hosts Josh Lowrey and Richard Rodriguez sit down with Brian Uhlmer, CEO at EKU Power Drives, to break down what it really takes to manage extreme, real-time power demand.

They dive into OEM-agnostic controls, mixed-asset integration, and why flexibility—not standardization—is becoming the key advantage in power-as-a-service.

00:00 Welcome From Vegas

00:33 Why Piper Sandler Matters

00:52 Meet Brian Olmer

02:45 Brian’s Career Journey

06:56 What EKU Builds

07:32 Data Centers Need Control

11:15 OEM Agnostic Power Mixing

12:55 Genesys and Maximus Stack

14:13 Integration Timelines

16:01 Controls as Growth Bottleneck

18:16 AI Demand Debate

20:01 AI Adoption Stories

24:39 Cybersecurity and Data Flow

26:03 Cybersecure Power Controls

26:51 Nuisance Trips Explained

27:12 Uptime Penalties Reality

28:47 Droop Logic And Sync

30:01 Why Grid Falls Short

32:26 Beyond Data Centers

33:30 Conference Target Customers

35:12 Founder Owned Funding

37:47 Standardizing Gen Sets

41:19 How To Find EKU

41:48 Stuttgart Speed Record Story

43:36 Wrap Up And CNBC Call

What actually drives asset value in today’s energy market?

Live from Thrive Energy Conference, The IT Crowd Podcast hosts Josh Lowrey and Richard Rodriguez sit down with Jim Gordon, Managing Director at Macquarie Group, and Phil Lavis to break down how capital really gets deployed—from asset-backed financing to operating leases.

They cover how tech, data, and cybersecurity are reshaping risk, plus the impact of rising data center demand and early AI use in asset valuation.

00:00 Live From Thrive

01:10 Meet The Guests

01:52 Macquarie And Roles

03:12 Phil’s Background

04:07 What Macquarie Does

05:14 Financing Oilfield Gear

05:55 Jim’s Career Path

08:02 Valuing Tech Shifts

09:09 Asset Value Framework

11:04 Obsolescence And Cyber Risk

14:21 Deal Fit And Underwriting

15:32 Data Centers And GPUs

16:58 Why Macquarie Wins

17:22 Why Clients Choose Us

19:11 Happy Hour Sponsor Break

19:36 Operating Lease Explained

21:12 Residual Value Edge

22:29 Global Mining Remarketing

23:57 Tech Shifts In Equipment

27:19 AI In Asset Valuation

29:10 Our Real Value Proposition

31:48 Wrap Up And Thanks

AI is booming, but energy might be its biggest bottleneck.

Live from the Daniel Energy Partners Thrive Energy Conference, hosts Josh Lowrey and Richard Rodriguez sit down with Dennis Jol, CEO of AIQ, to unpack what’s really slowing AI adoption, and why the answer is not what most think.

From its roots with ADNOC and G42, to real deployments across the field, Jol reveals what’s working, what’s not, and where the biggest opportunity is being missed.

00:00 Live From Thrive

00:54 Studio Setup Story

02:00 Meet Dennis Jol

02:54 What Is AIQ

04:26 Dennis Career Path

06:01 AI for Energy

08:15 Data Sharing Gap

10:01 Breaking US Mindsets

13:25 US Market Reception

15:33 Scaling Beyond Pilots

18:10 UAE Moves Fast

19:41 Proven AI Products

22:06 How AIQ Builds Fast

23:56 Where To Learn More

24:28 Frac Roots And Margins

25:11 Productizing AI Use Cases

25:56 AI Commoditization And Energy

26:43 Data Centers As Refineries

27:19 Build Buy Or Keep IP

29:28 Transferable Tech And Focus

31:48 AI For All Themes

33:53 Curating Real AI Companies

35:23 Abu Dhabi Momentum

36:53 How To Connect And APEC

40:03 Donut Detour And Wrap Up

41:06 Final Thanks And Sign Off