Torus has launched a modular computing system designed to bring inference capacity online at existing commercial and industrial sites, using available grid connections instead of waiting for new data center infrastructure.

The Salt Lake City-based energy and infrastructure company unveiled Foundry on November 11, alongside a $500 million funding announcement led by Magnetar. The funding will support manufacturing expansion and deployments of its energy storage and computing systems across the US.

The launch comes as demand for inference computing grows. Unlike model training, which involves developing and refining models, inference runs those models to generate responses and perform tasks. McKinsey projects that data center demand for inference will grow at a compound annual rate of 35 percent through 2030, compared with 22 percent for training.

Foundry combines computing hardware, power systems, energy storage, cooling and networking in a prefabricated modular unit. Torus says each site can support between 1 and 20 megawatts of computing capacity and can move from contract to operational workloads in 12 to 16 weeks.

The system is designed to operate at existing commercial and industrial sites with available electrical capacity. Rather than waiting for new grid connections or large-scale infrastructure upgrades, Torus aims to use existing interconnections and manage electricity demand through its Torus Reserve energy storage system.

Reserve combines battery storage and inertial-based technology to manage peak demand, provide backup power, and adjust electricity consumption. The company says its load-management controls can help accommodate the fluctuating power requirements of computing hardware while supporting grid stability.

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