Alderbuck Taps Veteran CTO to Power AI's Voracious Energy Demands

SAN DIEGO, CA – April 06, 2026 – In a move that underscores the intense race to build the power infrastructure for the artificial intelligence era, startup Alderbuck Energy has appointed industry veteran Ajith Wijenayake as its new Chief Technology Officer. The appointment brings over three decades of deep expertise in power electronics directly into the heart of a young company aiming to solve one of the tech industry's most pressing problems: the staggering energy consumption of AI data centers and the strain it places on a rapidly aging electrical grid.

Alderbuck, founded in 2024, is positioning itself as a key innovator with its development of bidirectional solid-state transformers (SSTs) and an accompanying AI-driven software platform. The decision to bring in a CTO with a long and proven track record of commercializing complex power technologies signals a pivotal moment for the company as it moves from early-stage development toward market deployment.

A Veteran Hand for a New Energy Frontier

Ajith Wijenayake is not a newcomer to the complexities of power conversion. His 30-year career mirrors the evolution of the power electronics industry itself, from early work on motor drives to pioneering advancements in silicon carbide (SiC) semiconductors and electric vehicle propulsion systems. This extensive background provides a unique perspective on the challenges Alderbuck aims to tackle.

In a statement, Wijenayake highlighted the unique convergence of problems that drew him to the San Diego-based startup. “Applying power electronics to next-generation energy systems and electrification has defined my career,” he said. “What attracted me to Alderbuck is its unique position to lead at the forefront of technologies that will fundamentally reshape U.S. energy infrastructure, from the medium-voltage grid layer down to low-voltage DC distribution.”

He further elaborated on his vision, noting the interconnectedness of modern energy challenges. “The transition to 800V DC architectures in data centers, the complexities of BESS integration, and the rapid buildout of EV charging infrastructure are not isolated challenges,” Wijenayake explained. “They are fundamentally the same problem expressed at different scales, and Alderbuck’s modular, scalable, compact and platform-based solution is a perfect approach.”

This holistic view is precisely what Alderbuck’s leadership sought. The company’s CEO, Rick Sander, emphasized the rarity of Wijenayake’s skillset. “We are building infrastructure for a grid that did not exist a decade ago,” Sander stated. “Ajith’s journey, from founding through funded R&D to acquisition, is exactly the kind of first-hand SST development experience that is rare to find in a single technical leader.” This experience in navigating the entire product lifecycle—from a lab prototype to a commercially viable and acquired technology—is invaluable for a startup with ambitious goals.

The Solid-State Solution to AI's Power Problem

The technology at the core of Alderbuck's strategy is the solid-state transformer. Unlike traditional copper-and-steel transformers that have been the backbone of the grid for over a century, SSTs are power electronic-based devices that offer a far more dynamic and intelligent approach to managing electricity. They are smaller, more efficient, and provide sophisticated control over power flow, voltage, and frequency.

This technology is becoming increasingly critical as the grid faces unprecedented stress. The global SST market is projected to experience substantial growth, with some analyst estimates projecting it to exceed $500 million by 2035, while others forecast a market size of over $1.7 billion by 2033, driven by a confluence of factors.

First is the explosive growth of AI. Modern AI data centers require immense power density, leading to a shift toward higher-voltage DC architectures like 800V to improve efficiency. SSTs are ideal for managing these high-power, direct-current environments. Second is the integration of renewable energy sources like solar and wind, whose intermittent nature requires advanced grid-stabilizing technology. Finally, the buildout of fast-charging infrastructure for electric vehicles demands compact and efficient power conversion at the point of delivery. Alderbuck’s Nexus Power Unit (NPU) is designed as a single, modular platform to address all these use cases, aiming to replace a rack of traditional equipment with one streamlined system.

However, the path to widespread adoption is not without hurdles. A primary challenge for the SST market has been the high cost of the advanced semiconductor materials, such as silicon carbide (SiC), and the complexity of the control systems. Alderbuck's focus on a modular, platform-based design is a strategic attempt to mitigate these costs and offer a scalable solution for targeted, high-value applications.

Intelligence at the Core: The Role of PowerVector AI™

Beyond the advanced hardware, Alderbuck is banking on its proprietary software, PowerVector AI™ (PVAI™), to deliver a crucial competitive edge. The software acts as the intelligent brain for the company's SSTs, leveraging embedded sensors to provide real-time monitoring, control, and predictive analytics.

The PVAI™ platform promises to transform passive infrastructure into an active, responsive asset. According to the company, its capabilities include predicting and preventing system faults, optimizing energy flow for cost and efficiency, and providing high-resolution data for grid operators. This aligns with a broader industry trend of applying artificial intelligence and machine learning to energy management, a market sector projected to grow into the tens of billions of dollars by the end of the decade.

By offering an open API and leveraging custom Large Language Models (LLMs) for data analysis, Alderbuck aims to make its system easily integrable into existing energy management platforms. This dual focus on hardware and software also creates a multi-pronged revenue model, combining the sale of physical units with recurring revenue from software licensing—a model highly favored by technology investors.

Navigating a Competitive Landscape

Alderbuck Energy enters a field dominated by industrial giants like Siemens, ABB, and General Electric, all of which are investing heavily in grid modernization and digital transformer technology. However, the startup, which secured a $750,000 seed funding round in late 2024, is carving out its niche by focusing intently on the acute power challenges of the AI industry.

While the incumbents offer broad portfolios, Alderbuck’s strategy is one of targeted precision—offering a unified hardware and software solution tailored for the most demanding new loads on the grid. The appointment of Ajith Wijenayake is a clear and calculated move to bolster its technical credibility and accelerate its path to commercialization. By adding a leader with a proven history of turning advanced R&D into market-ready products, the two-year-old company is making a bold statement about its readiness to compete and a critical step in its bid to redefine power infrastructure for the digital age.