The Vertical Stack Technology Coalition For Near-Zero Emissions PBC (VTCNZE) today announced a proposed national 'Speed-to-Power' framework designed to deploy approximately 600 GWh of distributed grid storage within 48 months by adapting the CHIPS-era public equity model to energy infrastructure. The proposal follows the federal government's recent use of minority, non-controlling equity stakes in strategic technology companies under the CHIPS and Science Act.
VTCNZE argues that the same taxpayer-aligned model should apply to power infrastructure required for frontier AI, quantum computing, advanced manufacturing, and defense readiness. 'The CHIPS model changed the conversation from one-way subsidy to taxpayer upside,' said Max Davis, Founding Architect of VTCNZE. 'If public authority can accelerate quantum and semiconductor infrastructure while preserving value for the taxpayer, the same principle should apply to the energy infrastructure needed to power frontier AI. Chips do not matter if America cannot turn them on.'
The proposed framework focuses on high-density, load-adjacent, non-lithium energy storage assets deployed on urban industrial parcels, brownfields, and underutilized public land. It aims to bypass multi-year utility interconnection queues and sprawling battery farms by prioritizing compact, modular, vertically integrated storage structures. VTCNZE believes the national AI power challenge is now an industrial strategy, national security, ratepayer protection, and community wealth issue.
Under the model, federal, state, and municipal entities could take minority equity stakes in qualified projects, tied to the value each level of government contributes. The federal government could provide national priority designation and financing access, states could contribute clean-grid authority and infrastructure bank liquidity, and municipalities could offer brownfield access and local permitting acceleration. Private investors would provide capital and engineering execution. 'No taxpayer acceleration without taxpayer upside,' Davis said.
VTCNZE's deployment target of 600 GWh across major data center corridors within 48 months relies on treating storage deployment as a programmatic manufacturing challenge rather than one-off real estate development. The company's 'Vertical Stack' approach compresses large-scale storage into smaller footprints by building upward, reducing land demand and siting timelines.
Immediate cooperation is sought among public authorities, utilities, data center operators, and financiers for pilot sites in categories such as urban brownfields, grid-constrained industrial zones, and sites adjacent to high-load data centers. Illinois and the Chicago region are cited as strong candidates due to existing data center demand and industrial land availability.
A central component is the 'WIMBY Factor' (Welcome In My Backyard), ensuring communities are protected from cost-shifting and included in upside through municipal equity, revenue sharing, and workforce pathways. 'Behind-the-meter cannot mean behind-the-community,' Davis said. The proposal argues that without power, the rest of the technology stack—chips, fabs, AI data centers, quantum systems—cannot function.
VTCNZE calls for expedited pathways for load-adjacent storage, priority review for high-density non-lithium systems, and structured Special Purpose Vehicles to align stakeholders. More details are available at Vertical Stack Energy.
