America’s largest independent power operator NAES is partnering AI and robotics specialist Gecko. The two companies aim to transform the reliability and operational efficiency of American power production. This follows US president Trump’s declaration of a national energy emergency on January 20th.

The two companies have announced an initial multi-year agreement valued in excess of $100 million. They have retained the option for the deal to grow beyond $250 million as demand warrants. The partnership aims to modernise US power plants.

The agreement enables NAES and Gecko to combine strengths in robotics and AI-driven platforms with operational capabilities in the energy sector in both thermal and renewable energy. They aim to address increasing need for energy created by AI and data centres, transportation, electrification and US re-industrialisation. An increased national demand of around 16% is projected in the next four years on the US national grid. According to the two companies, data centre power demand alone is projected to grow 160% by 2030.

NAES manages the second largest fleet of power generation assets in the United States.

Gecko’s wall-climbing robots, drones, robot dogs, and fixed-sensors are able to collect data on critical infrastructure. This is fed into Gecko’s AI-powered software platform, Cantilever, to view and identify asset health issues, as well as accurately predict optimisations of plant asset performance. This helps reduce unexpected downtime and reactive maintenance through prediction models. It also allows facilities to learn from similar Cantilever-run facilities about how to yield the most optimum performance without causing catastrophic failures. As robotics improve, more actions are likely to be taken by robots in energy infrastructure sector.

“The White House has rightly acknowledged that we are in an energy crisis, and that continuing on our current path for production and supply puts our country at risk,” said Jake Loosararian, Co-founder and CEO of Gecko Robotics. “We’re proud to partner with NAES and, together, bolster the U.S.’ energy security at some of our most critical power facilities using what America does better than anyone – innovation!”

“The demand for energy is going to grow substantially over the next five to ten years, and we need to be smarter about how technology can support our workforce and infrastructure to deliver this,” said Mark Dobler, President and CEO of NAES. “Every kilowatt counts. By partnering with Gecko, we are able to be a pioneer for the industry and demonstrate the advantage that can be gained when turning to innovation and technology, because it’s essential we deliver for our country.”

“Throughout its history, Pennsylvania has been on the cutting edge of robotics, technology, and energy – and this partnership between Gecko and NAES shows what the next generation of energy projects could look like in the Commonwealth,” said Governor Josh Shapiro. “Under my Administration, I have an energy plan to spark new innovation and build a more reliable, affordable energy grid by incentivising new projects, streamlining permitting approvals, and encouraging communities to lower utility bills through shared energy resources. By coming together around an energy strategy, we can support groundbreaking projects like this, lower costs for consumers, create more jobs, and position the Commonwealth to continue to be a national energy leader for decades to come.”