Bringing predictive intelligence to energy infrastructure

The Challenge

Redefining how power systems are built and deployed requires operating simultaneously as a developer, general contractor, subcontractor, and OEM, often within the same project. Delivering modular AI-driven energy systems into mission critical environments such as data centers requires precision execution and disciplined data management. To support predictive uptime and long-term asset performance, a centralized platform was required to manage complex builds while generating reliable, standardized project data.

The Solution

Procore was implemented as the centralized operational backbone, integrating project management workflows with financial systems to establish a single source of truth from quoting through commissioning. The platform captures bill of materials data, inspection records, and vendor documentation that feed predictive reliability models while providing enterprise level visibility across a growing asset portfolio.

The Results

• Centralized bill of materials and vendor data to help support predictive uptime modeling
• Enabled seamless collaboration with data center clients already using Procore
• Replaced spreadsheet-based tracking with structured, integrated workflows
• Incorporated 450+ commissioning checkpoints into a unified inspection process
• Expanded asset visibility through participation in Procore’s Asset Management beta

Reinventing power for a new era

As artificial intelligence, robotics and data-intensive industries grow, so does the need for reliable, autonomous energy systems. James Richmond, Founder and President of e2Companies, believes the traditional power grid simply isn’t built for what comes next. “We’re in a much more complex environment now,” Richmond said. “The existing grid that has served us well for 100 years will not serve us well going forward.” Richmond founded e2Companies to address that gap. Its Virtual Utility delivers modular energy systems that can be deployed faster and operated more intelligently than traditional power generation. The company’s R3DI® (pronounced “ready”) system functions more like an appliance than a custom-engineered plant — pre-engineered, repeatable and designed for reliability. For customers in energy-intensive environments like data centers, that modular approach means power can come online faster and with greater predictability. But innovation at this level requires more than hardware.

Predicting failures, preventing downtime

At the core of e2’s model is predictive reliability. The company recently filed a patent around what it calls “Seven Nines” uptime — 99.99999% reliability, which is well beyond traditional utility standards. Rather than waiting for equipment to fail, e2Companies uses sensors, machine analytics, environmental data and AI models to forecast degradation in advance. “If the AI senses something’s wrong, it’ll tell you, ‘Here’s where we think you’re going to fail — it’ll be in 100 days — and you need to address this in the next 14 days,’” Richmond said. That foresight changes the economics of power. Planned interventions replace emergency repairs, and downtime becomes increasingly avoidable. But predictive intelligence depends on something foundational: knowing exactly what was built. “You have to know what you did on a project,” Richmond said. “Who did what? What did they put in?” Without that clarity, even the most advanced AI model will have dangerous blind spots.

A single source of truth behind the innovation

As e2Companies scaled its modular systems — often acting as developer, general contractor, subcontractor and OEM on the same project — spreadsheets and disconnected tools quickly became liabilities. Disciplined tracking from quoting through commissioning was essential, particularly given that many projects operate under strict service level agreements. In data center environments, delays in delivering power can result in significant financial penalties. “If you’re going to be in this game,” Richmond said, “you have to deliver on time.” To help establish that level of discipline, Procore was implemented as the centralized project backbone. Bills of materials, vendor selections, installation records, and inspection data are now consolidated within a single platform. “It really becomes the single source of truth,” Richmond said. That structured data extends well beyond workflow efficiency. “By using Procore, to centralize our data, we are able to leverage AI with machine analytics, environmental and predictive load and supply analytics to achieve Seven Nines of uptime,” Richmond added. “Having that core site information allows us to move beyond reacting to problems and instead predict and address them before they occur.” Because many data center partners already operate within Procore, integration is seamless and alignment across teams is straightforward. “I don’t know too many data centers that aren’t using Procore,” Richmond said. “Honestly, I haven’t run into one yet.”

Commissioning as intelligence

The data capture doesn’t stop when installation ends. During commissioning, e2Companies runs what it calls an integrated systems test at every site. Inside Procore, the team uses the inspection tool to manage a checklist that spans hundreds of line items — covering models, serial numbers and performance validation. Issues discovered during testing are logged and tracked. Over time, those records help identify patterns. If a particular component shows recurring issues, the team can evaluate whether to adjust design, sourcing or installation practices. What might look like a routine commissioning process is, in reality, feeding the larger predictive model.

Freedom within a framework

e2’s hybrid structure demands both flexibility and control. Jacquelyn Elder, CEO of ZoKa solutions, a construction project management and consulting firm for e2Companies, describes the balance as “freedom within a framework.” Too much freedom leads to chaos. Too much rigidity limits innovation. “Procore, she said, provides the structure e2Companies needs without constraining how it operates across roles.” A key part of that flexibility is integration. “You’re never going to have a single tech tool that does everything,” said Elder. “But with Procore’s OpenAPI, we can connect the other software we rely on — manufacturing systems, maintenance platforms, ERP tools — and pull that information into one place. That allows us to adapt the system to how we operate, instead of forcing our operations to adapt to the system.”

Seeing beyond the build

As e2Companies continues to expand its mission, the company is looking beyond individual projects toward long-term asset performance. Through participation in Procore’s Asset Management beta, e2Companies is beginning to connect construction data with asset-level oversight. “We have to keep our eye on mean time to repair and mean time to failure,” Richmond said. “That’s where we make or break ourselves.” Having a consolidated view of assets across sites helps e2Companies evaluate reliability trends, monitor vendor performance and refine future deployments. It’s a shift from simply completing projects to managing a growing energy portfolio with long-term accountability.

Building toward what’s next

For Richmond, partnering with technology companies investing seriously in AI is foundational to e2’s future. “It’s absolutely critical,” he said. “The amount of data and efficiencies that can be created using real AI is off the charts, and it’s where we’re headed.” With Procore serving as the structured foundation across projects and assets, Richmond believes the organization now has the framework in place to continue advancing its growth and performance objectives. “The best is yet to come,” he predicted.