—Skyrocketing energy demand sparked in large part by the construction of new data centers, along with massive solar and wind installations to power them, have created a booming market for energy storage. More than 112 gigawatts of energy storage were created in 2025, a rise of 48% compared to the year prior. Lithium-ion batteries make up 90% of energy storage today, with China almost totally dominating production. Now, an older method to store energy using compressed air is drawing new interest, thanks to digital innovations that can make it more efficient. The concepts underlying the innovation were published in 2023, and the first prototype already serves the energy storage needs of the university campus.