Ann Arbor, Michigan, Feb. 04, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Utilidata, a pioneer in embedded AI for power infrastructure backed by NVIDIA, announced the opening of a new innovation lab that will also serve as its headquarters in Ann Arbor, Michigan, a region known as an epicenter for ingenuity and technology advancement. The new space will serve as the company’s primary hub for testing, product development, and collaboration with partners across the technology, AI, and energy sectors.
“Michigan is on the move and open for business, competing for and winning big projects in next-generation industries from cars to AI,” said Governor Whitmer. “Today’s announcement will create 25 new good-paying jobs and help cement Michigan as the best place for cutting-edge research and development that moves our nation forward. Let’s keep working together to show the world that Michigan is the best place to build the future.”
The move is supported by a $250,000 grant through the Michigan Business Development Program (MBDP), administered by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC). The lab currently employs 18 staff members on site, accounting for 25% of Utilidata’s workforce, and is expected to create 25 new full-time jobs and strengthen partnerships with key local collaborators
The Ann Arbor headquarters includes dedicated distributed energy resources (DER) and data center labs that enable rapid prototyping and testing and will support the scaling of its autonomous power management platform, Karman, across critical energy infrastructure. Utilidata’s team of engineers will use the expanded space to build hardware components, test new software and AI algorithms, with their main focus of testing Karman in data center servers. The data center lab currently houses NVIDIA B200 servers running AI workloads with Karman, allowing the team to measure system behavior under realistic compute conditions.
The DER lab will be configured to replicate modern electrified homes and businesses, with electric meters connected to battery storage systems, electric vehicles and rooftop solar. In this lab, the team will run demonstrations to test how Karman interacts with distributed energy devices, further refining how the platform can support grid reliability and enable utilities to better manage demands from increasing electrification.
“The focus around AI often assumes that growth requires more power. In reality, data centers already have significant unused capacity due to limitations in power infrastructure,” said Josh Brumberger, CEO of Utilidata. “Our focus is on helping operators safely and responsibly use the power they already have with high-resolution, real-time visibility and control. Our new headquarters was purpose-built to rapidly test and validate these capabilities, and to tap into Ann Arbor’s deep engineering and technology talent and accelerate our scale.”
Utilidata has maintained a presence in Michigan for several years, starting with its original 2,500-square foot innovation lab located in the Northern Brewery building, and working alongside local research institutions and technology partners to advance energy innovation. These efforts include projects with the University of Michigan’s Transportation Institute, Brooks Utility Partners, and Treetown Tech.
In partnership with NVIDIA, Utilidata has built one of the smallest AI computing modules to easily embed in compact electrical devices to provide unparalleled visibility and power-flow control. The Ann Arbor headquarters will serve as a testing ground to demonstrate AI capabilities to support evolving power demands.
About Utilidata
Utilidata’s Karman platform provides autonomous power management for AI data centers, enabling operators to better utilize the power already available to them. By embedding real-time visibility and control directly into power distribution equipment, Karman unlocks stranded capacity. The Karman platform is built on a custom NVIDIA Jetson Orin Nano, and has been embedded into smart meters to bring real-time visibility and power-flow control to the electric grid.
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