In today’s power-constrained markets – especially across Tier 1 data-center markets – every megawatt matters. Yet across the industry, substations and data center campuses are sitting on pockets of unused capacity — two, five, sometimes even ten megawatts — that generate zero return. That’s not just inefficiency; it’s money left on the table.
As AI and high-performance computing (HPC) reshape the data center landscape, demand is changing fast. The next generation of compute doesn’t always need 100MW campuses or massive buildings — it needs smaller, denser, faster-deploying capacity located near available power. The real opportunity isn’t adding more square footage — it’s unlocking the power that’s already there and putting it to work for the workloads defining this new era.
Use Case #1 — Stranded Power at the Substations
In many regions, substations are intentionally oversized for future growth or redundancy, leaving behind 2–10 MW of energized capacity with no immediate takers. Traditionally, that load is too small to attract a hyperscale tenant — but it’s a perfect match for AI-ready, high-density compute clusters.
By introducing modular, pre-engineered systems adjacent to those substations, that dormant power can be activated quickly — turning an idle asset into a revenue generating load without new grid extensions or multi-year construction cycles.
In many cases, the substation already feeds a secure, fully operational data center campus. Those campuses are ideal hosts for modular expansion — fenced, monitored, fiber-connected, and under active power contracts. The modular systems can be deployed within the existing secure perimeter, effectively extending the facility’s usable footprint without building a new hall.
Compu Dynamics Modular (CDM) delivers these all-in-one, plug-and-play systems — complete with high-density, AI-ready power and cooling infrastructure — that can be installed, connected, and commissioned in a fraction of the time of a traditional build. It’s a true win-win-win: the power gets monetized, the operator gains new compute capacity, and the market gains immediate access to AI-ready infrastructure without waiting years for new construction.
Let’s do the math: Utility revenue is based on the energy consumed.
“Revenue = Power (MW) × 1,000 (kW/MW) × 8,760 (hours/year) × $/kWh”
At average large load rates between 10–15¢ per kWh, each megawatt generates:
| Power Capacity | @ $0.10/kWh | @ $0.12/kWh | @ $0.15/kWh |
| 1 MW | $876,000 / yr | $1,051,200 / yr | $1,314,000 / yr |
| 4 MW | $3,504,000 / yr | $4,204,800 / yr | $5,256,000 / yr |
| 5 MW | $4,380,000 / yr | $5,256,000 / yr | $6,570,000 / yr |
A substation with 4 MW of stranded power could therefore represent roughly $3.5–$5.3 million in annual revenue opportunity — simply by putting existing capacity to work through modular compute deployments.
Use Case #2 — Stranded Power Within the Campus
Many data centers already hold more contracted power than they can physically use. Once the final data hall is full, a few megawatts of capacity often remain stranded simply because there’s nowhere to install new racks. That unused capacity can now serve a new purpose: AI workload.
This is where Compu Dynamics Modular (CDM) comes in. CDM helps data center stakeholders transform unused contracted power into high-density, liquid cooled compute environments built for AI and HPC workloads. Our team consults, designs, builds, deploys, and maintains modular systems that integrate seamlessly within existing property lines or adjacent parcels — maximizing return on power already under contract while keeping operations within the same secure, connected footprint.
Let’s do the math: Operators monetize power through all-inclusive lease rates or metered power that covers all critical infrastructure services.
Average rates across Tier 1 markets range from $150 – $170 per kW per month.
| Unused Contracted Power | @ $150 / kW/mo | @ $170 / kW/mo |
| 1 MW (1,000 kW) | $1.8 M / yr | $2.04 M / yr |
| 5 MW | $9.0 M / yr | $10.2 M / yr |
A campus sitting on 5 MW of unused contracted power could therefore be missing out on nearly $10 million per year — revenue that can be captured immediately by deploying modular, AI-ready capacity within its existing secure footprint.
The Bigger Picture
As the industry pivots toward AI-era computing, the value of power is shifting from scale to speed. Having 200 MW under contract means little if 5 MW can be monetized today. The winning strategy is no longer about how much land you control — it’s about how efficiently you can turn every available megawatt into useful, revenue-producing compute.
The power is already there. The demand is real. With Compu Dynamics Modular, turning stranded megawatts into active, AI-ready capacity isn’t a future concept — it’s happening now.
What to explore the possibilities? Let’s talk!
