North Dakota entrepreneurs are merging energy and artificial intelligence — a business-driven mission that could give America a decisive edge in the global race for energy and computing leadership.
By Steve Lebow, Chairman and CEO, Bakken Energy
North Dakota has always been a proving ground for bold ideas in energy. From the shale boom to pioneering flare mitigation, entrepreneurs here have consistently turned challenges into opportunities. Now, business leaders in the Bakken are preparing to do it again: merge artificial intelligence with energy in ways that could reshape both industries.
At Bakken Energy, our mission is to build the next generation of energy infrastructure by pairing innovation with practicality. In partnership with Armada, we plan to deploy modular, mobile AI data centers powered by natural gas that is often underutilized during early production or at gas plants. This is about transforming a resource that has historically been overlooked into productive, high-value computing power — directly at the source of energy in western North Dakota.
These containerized units, rugged enough for the oilfield, are designed to be deployed quickly and scaled easily. Each module can operate on its own or be clustered with others to create a distributed data center wherever demand exists. That means AI capacity can grow beside gas plants or production hubs, without waiting years for transmission lines or building massive permanent facilities. The system is mobile, flexible, and designed for rapid deployment in places where traditional infrastructure lags behind.
Connectivity, once a limiting factor in remote regions, has also changed. With Starlink enterprise satellite service, mobile AI clusters will have reliable broadband and low-latency internet even in the farthest reaches of the oil patch. For higher-throughput needs, multiple terminals can be aggregated or data can be uploaded in scheduled windows. Most importantly, these units are built to process data locally, sending only critical insights upstream. That makes them ideal for real-time applications like drilling optimization, predictive maintenance, and safety monitoring — where milliseconds matter.
This is not a distant science project. The technologies exist now. Bakken Energy, together with Armada, is preparing to pilot them, bringing together proven power systems, modular data centers, and next-generation connectivity. The opportunity is to demonstrate how energy producers can integrate AI at the source — not years from now, but today.
The implications go well beyond efficiency. AI is already reshaping industries, and energy will be no exception. With on-site processing, rigs and well operations can get smarter, faster, and safer. Imagine drilling guided by real-time AI analytics, equipment that predicts its own maintenance needs, and operations that adjust instantly to conditions on the ground. By combining local energy resources with local computing power, America can lower costs, reduce waste, and sharpen its competitive edge in both energy and digital markets.
This initiative reflects what has always defined North Dakota’s business community: boldness, practicality, and a willingness to bet on the future. Entrepreneurs here don’t wait for the world to change — they build the tools that make change possible. If this mission succeeds, it won’t just reduce waste. It will prove that private enterprise can turn longstanding challenges into digital-age opportunities, setting a model for oilfields around the world.
The AI-energy revolution is here. The question is not whether it will reshape the future, but who will lead. With Bakken Energy and Armada, we believe the answer lies with innovators and entrepreneurs willing to take the first steps. The Bakken has powered America for decades. Now business leaders here are ready to power the digital frontier.