Emerald AI Founder and CEO Dr. Varun Sivaram has been named a 2026 Tech Titan in the "Entrepreneurs, Founders, and Early-Stage CEO" category by Washingtonian Magazine. The Washingtonian’s annual Tech Titans list covers “the most innovative and important leaders in Washington’s tech scene.” Dr. Sivaram is recognized on this year’s list for his leadership in pioneering Emerald AI’s software solution to one of the most pressing issues of our time: supporting American energy infrastructure amidst the AI revolution. 

What this means for Emerald AI

Over the past year, Dr. Sivaram has transformed Emerald AI from a stealth startup founded in November 2024 into "The Frontier Lab for AI & Energy”, tackling AI's power crunch by transforming data centers into flexible grid assets that dynamically adjust power consumption in response to power grid conditions. 

Under Dr. Sivaram’s leadership, Emerald AI has demonstrated the power of flexible computing in several landmark achievements, including completing five successful commercial demonstrations around the world and now deploying the software commercially at multi-megawatt, full data center scale.

These commercial milestones have driven significant validation for Emerald AI's platform this year, including selection as a 2026 TIME100 Most Influential Company and a World Economic Forum (WEF) Technology Pioneer, and now Dr. Sivaram’s recognition as a Washingtonian Tech Titan.

A quote from our founder

“Emerald AI was founded on our shared belief that artificial intelligence has great potential to be a valuable and productive asset amidst the AI energy boom. Our successful pilots across the globe demonstrate that advanced computing facilities can seamlessly calibrate their energy footprint on demand when local utilities require relief, all while preserving strict performance standards for active AI workloads.

"As we continue this mission, I’m honored to be named a Tech Titan by Washingtonian Magazine, and I’m proud to lead a team that made this recognition possible."

"Together, we are proving that the next wave of technological innovation can proceed at breakneck speed while simultaneously strengthening grid resilience and keeping electricity affordable for local communities.”

— Dr. Varun Sivaram, Founder and CEO, Emerald AI

Read more on the 2026 Tech Titans here: https://washingtonian.com/2026/09/08/meet-dcs-2026-tech-titans/

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