smartgrid.com.au is building a new kind of AI infrastructure for Australia. Compact compute nodes hosted at residential homes — paid for with free batteries, cheaper power and a share of the inference economy.
AEMO forecasts data centre electricity demand in the NEM rising from ~4 TWh today to ~21 TWh by 2034–35 — roughly 9% of total electricity demand.
22 state-significant data centre projects approved in NSW alone, with the NSW Investment Delivery Authority endorsing $51.9B of further proposals in March 2026.
The federal Cheaper Home Batteries Program runs through 2030. Every rebated battery must be VPP-capable — exactly the substrate Smart Grid Node uses.
Most Australian suburban distribution networks run at under half their capacity. That latent headroom is the cheapest gigawatt in the country.
Australia doesn't need to choose between an AI economy and an affordable grid.
The cheapest gigawatt is the one already paid for — sitting unused in the wires under suburban streets.
— smartgrid.com.au · Program brief, May 2026
A CEC-approved smart panel, a 10–13 kWh home battery, and a compact compute node beside the house. Installed by SAA-accredited electricians under AS/NZS 3000 and 4777.
Liquid-cooled GPUs in a weatherproof enclosure roughly the size of an outdoor AC unit. Designed for under 35 dB at one metre. Slab-mounted, optionally fenced.
Orchestration runs AI inference workloads only when the local network has spare capacity. Your battery always covers your home's load first.
Choose monthly bill credits, a flat $0 energy + internet package, or take cash. Plus real backup power during outages — independent of the grid.
Sensor fusion and vision inference for autonomous trucks, ports, mine sites and remote-operations centres — closer to where the trucks actually run.
Real-time defect detection, digital twins and condition monitoring for advanced manufacturing corridors and infrastructure operators.
Low-latency in-country inference for retailers, banks, government and the Australian AI startup scene. No data leaves the country.
GPU-backed sessions for cloud gaming and creative pipelines that benefit from being one suburb away rather than three continents.
Every node is a battery on the grid. Frequency response, peak-demand dispatch and wholesale arbitrage — automatically.
Burst capacity for university research, bushfire mapping, emergency-services analytics, and other work that can't wait for an offshore queue.
The first 25 nodes go into new-build estates in Western Sydney during the Phase 1 technical pilot. We then expand under the NSW VPP Incentive and SA's REPS program, where federal and state rebates stack cleanly.
Pilot places are limited and chosen by postcode, network conditions and solar / battery profile. Registering takes a minute. We'll be in touch as each phase opens.
We're talking with hyperscalers, neo-clouds, AI startups, distribution networks, retailers and homebuilders. If any of the below sounds like you, get in touch — we move fast.
Partnership inquiries: partners@smartgrid.com.au
The compute node is liquid-cooled and engineered for under 35 dB at one metre — roughly the sound of a quiet library. Heat is rejected via the liquid loop to a small radiator on the unit; we site nodes with airflow in mind, and away from bedrooms wherever practical.
No. The node runs on a separate metered circuit and we pay for the energy it consumes. Your home's energy use is unaffected. Because we also install a battery and smart panel at no cost, most hosts use less grid power than before.
The node shuts down and its workload shifts to other nodes on the network. Your battery then powers your home's essential circuits — lights, fridge, internet, key power points — until the grid returns.
No. The node uses its own dedicated internet connection and is logically isolated from your home Wi-Fi. AI workloads run inside encrypted enclaves — neither the compute customer nor Smart Grid sees anything about your household.
The federal Cheaper Home Batteries Program requires every rebated battery to be VPP-capable — which ours is. We capture the rebate value as part of how we offer hosts a free battery. NSW residents who join the program also unlock the NSW VPP Incentive; in SA, the REPS VPP1 incentive applies.
The host agreement is structured to transfer cleanly to the next owner with their consent, or to terminate with reasonable notice and a removal of the equipment at our cost. Full terms will be set out in the pilot host agreement.