• Unigrid, a startup focused on developing sodium-ion batteries, has raised $12 million in funding to support the development and commercialization of its technology. The company's goal is to create a more sustainable and cost-effective energy storage solution for data centers, which are known to be heavy consumers of electricity.

• Sodium-ion batteries are seen as a potential alternative to lithium-ion batteries, which are currently the dominant technology in the energy storage market. Sodium-ion batteries are made from more abundant and less expensive materials, and they have the potential to be more environmentally friendly than their lithium-ion counterparts.

• The funding will enable Unigrid to accelerate the development of its sodium-ion battery technology and work towards its commercialization. The company believes that its technology can provide a viable solution for data centers, which are under increasing pressure to reduce their environmental impact and energy consumption.