Power up your AI infrastructure! A first look at the Smart Systems Stage agenda at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026
TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 will feature a 'Smart Systems Stage' focused on the massive energy demands of AI infrastructure. The event will host industry leaders to discuss fusion energy, grid modernization, and the challenges of powering future technological growth.
Why it matters
As AI adoption accelerates, the energy infrastructure required to support it is becoming a major economic and technological bottleneck.
AI doesn’t run on code alone — it requires massive amounts of power, and that demand is increasingly becoming a critical bottleneck. At TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 , the Smart Systems Stage will be where energy, infrastructure, and technology collide, covering everything from fusion breakthroughs to the grid strain AI is putting on the entire economy.
From October 13-15 in San Francisco’s Moscone Center, join leaders from Commonwealth Fusion Systems, Helion, Inertia, Bloom Energy, and more as they dig into what it actually takes to power the next decade of innovation. We’re tackling everything from commercial fusion’s path, to the grid and why utilities and startups are racing to modernize aging infrastructure, to how data center operators are scrambling to secure the electricity that AI’s growth depends on.
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