As vital as data centers are, they’re often seen as a source of serious energy consumption. That’s not an unfounded reputation since many of them consume more than 17 megawatts per year. 

To address the problem, developers, tech leaders, and utilities from around the country are joining to create data center test hubs. These data centers will use their emergency generators when energy expenditures rise in the community, essentially becoming “flexible loads” that unplug from the regional grids. 

Using this model, data centers would no longer be detrimental to local grids but would instead be assets that benefit nearby communities. 

Why a Data Center Revolution Is Necessary

AI has changed the data center game. The wattage that kept data centers running just a few years ago is no longer enough, and demand is on the rise. 

Regional power grids, however, remain the same and aren’t able to keep up. Utilities have become less reliable because of grid stress, and it’s become impossible to even think about adopting renewable energy strategies. In fact, many power plants have been brought back from “retirement” to keep up with energy demand.

The Department of Energy has spotted another problem. By not being able to keep up with the demand for more powerful data centers, the country could fall behind on vital technology, like AI development. That’s not something the nation can afford, leading the government to the latest project. 

The New Flexible Data Center Projects

Leaders in tech, developers, and utilities have joined to create an initiative that addresses all aspects of the problem. They aim to transform data centers into power hubs that can rely on their emergency generators and unplug from the regional grids when demand is too high and there’s a fear of energy collapse. 

The program, called DCFlex, will develop between five and 10 of these flexible-load data centers and introduce them in different energy markets across the country. This will test whether the project can be expanded nationwide. 

The idea is to transform data centers from mere consumers to active participants of the grid that can switch off when the grid is under strain. Some of these strategies are already in use, with many regional power systems having a “demand response,” in which participating companies can get paid for reducing their energy expenditure. 

Demand response is common in Texas, for example. Aside from bitcoin mines, however, data centers have been slow to adopt this strategy. 

“Data centers have a choice: They can either create the problem or they can solve their own problem and help the grid,” says Alan Schurr, the chief commercial officer of Enchanted Rock, a microgrid manufacturer based in Texas. 

With this initiative, it appears that data centers are going for the latter. There are challenges on the way, such as worries over state environmental regulations that could cap a data center’s ability to create power, but this first step is in the right direction. 

Check out the original article at Bisnow.