Rune raises $40M and launches solar-powered RELIC AI compute module

Rune says RELIC, which stands for Renewable Energy Linked Intelligent Compute, cuts the cost of that infrastructure by 85%. The company points to two main savings: RELIC modules run near the photovoltaic cells that power them, reducing the need for long-haul power transmission lines, and they consume direct current power from solar panels, eliminating the need for transformers that switch DC to AC and back.

Long-haul cables are a major expense for AI companies. OpenAI Group PBC, for example, expects to spend $4.2 billion on power transmission hardware in connection with its Ohio data center buildout, according to the report. RELIC modules do not require long-haul cables because they are installed near the solar cells that generate their power.

Transformers convert direct current, a stream of electrons flowing in one direction, into alternating current, which reverses direction dozens of times per second. Solar farms generate DC power and route it to transformers so it can be transmitted over long-haul lines; once the AC power reaches a standard AI data center, it is converted back to DC and distributed to servers. Because Rune's RELIC systems avoid long-haul transmission, they remove the need for that DC-to-AC-to-DC conversion, so customers do not need to buy transformers.

Rune says its technology also provides another benefit. Utilities lower the output of solar panels when supply exceeds demand, leaving some generation capacity unused. Rune says RELIC can use that unused capacity for AI processing.

"Every solar plant is a latent data center," said Rune co-founder and Chief Executive Officer William Layden. "The power is already there, sitting idle while AI labs wait years for grid connections that may never come."

Each RELIC module ships with up to 1,024 graphics cards, cooling equipment and custom power management components. Rune claims the system takes about an hour to set up, and that customers can start running AI workloads within a few weeks, far faster than the years needed to build a standard data center.

Rune says it has deployed RELIC on the premises of a 200-megawatt solar facility in Texas. The funding round will help it grow its market presence. The company reportedly plans to expand its focus beyond solar power plants to wind farms.

Editor's Summary

Rune has raised $40 million led by Spark Capital and launched RELIC, a solar-farm AI compute module that uses DC power and avoids long-haul transmission and transformers. Rune says it has deployed the system at a 200-megawatt Texas solar facility and plans to expand to wind farms. The funding will support broader market growth.