Artificial intelligence may begin as software, but expanding it depends on physical systems. Models, agents, and applications need places to run, along with the power and infrastructure that keep them operating.
That shift is the focus of a session at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026. Ben Longmier, CEO of Ambrosia Energy, and Bill Thayer, SVP and Head of Datacenter Solutions at Bloom Energy, will discuss where the AI infrastructure boom could create new opportunities.
AI growth depends on a wider physical stack
Much of the public conversation about AI centers on models, chips, and applications. But those pieces rely on a broader infrastructure: power generation, grid connections, data centers, cooling, electrical equipment, and the systems needed to keep operations running.
As demand for computing grows, the ability to deliver power and infrastructure becomes part of the scaling challenge. The session will look at what happens when demand grows faster than those resources can be delivered, and consider which constraints may last long enough to reshape markets.
That perspective broadens the discussion beyond software. The underlying systems can influence where and how AI expands, creating questions for companies planning for growth as well as for the founders and investors looking for new markets.
Finding lasting opportunities in constraints
An infrastructure boom does not benefit every business or category equally. A shortage can create demand, but founders and investors still need to judge whether that demand supports a durable business or a temporary response to a bottleneck.
The discussion is set to examine where new solutions are needed, where spending may persist, and which emerging categories could support lasting companies. It will also consider how the market is responding as constraints appear and more capital flows into AI infrastructure.
For founders, the questions reach beyond the most visible AI applications. A company addressing energy, data centers, cooling, grid technology, electrical equipment, or infrastructure software could be part of the AI economy even if its product is not an AI application itself.
For investors, the challenge is to understand where demand for infrastructure could produce defensible markets. Technology leaders, meanwhile, can use the discussion to consider how physical systems may shape the next phase of AI growth.
New AI markets may not look like AI companies
Some opportunities created by AI may take shape in industries that are not usually described as AI. The source identifies energy, data centers, cooling, grid technology, electrical equipment, and infrastructure software as possible areas, alongside categories that do not yet have established names.
The shared driver is the physical demand that comes with scaling AI. If that demand creates a need for new solutions, businesses can emerge around the infrastructure that supports AI rather than around models or applications themselves.
This makes the coming conversation relevant to anyone trying to understand where AI-related markets may form. The issue is not only how quickly AI software advances, but also which physical constraints require solutions and who is positioned to build them.
What the Disrupt session will explore
Longmier and Thayer will appear on the Smart Systems Stage at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 for a session titled “Where the AI Infrastructure Boom Is Creating Winners.” The session will address constraints, emerging categories, market responses, and the opportunities founders may find as AI moves further into the physical world.
TechCrunch says the event will feature 250+ speakers leading 200+ sessions. The article also promotes passes for the event, including a 50% discount on a second pass of the same ticket type and savings of up to $100 before rates go up at the door on October 13. The event is at Moscone West, with doors opening at 8 a.m. PT.
The broader takeaway is that AI infrastructure could matter as much as the software layer in determining how the technology scales. The companies that meet those physical needs may help define where the next opportunities appear.