Are regional power grids actually constrained? Or could dozens of gigawatts of power be unlocked by new approaches to grid management and data center power contracts? That’s the intriguing question posed by new research from an energy analyst, and it could have large implications for the data center industry.

Data Center Richness host RIch Miller talks with Tyler Norris, whose recent research paper titled “Rethinking Load Growth” has made waves in the energy sector, advancing new strategies for managing growth on America’s power grid. Research by Norris found that close to 100 gigawatts of additional headroom could be created on US grids - if data centers can be flexible, and limit their power demands for a few hours each year.

Why would data centers want to do that? Because it might offer a faster path to power, which is a huge priority for hyperscale data center operators as they focus on the AI arms race and building America’s digital future. Let’s talk about data centers and flexibility.

Highlights from the discussion with Rich and Tyler:

00:00 - Why load flexibiility matters.

1:35 - Tyler’s background in the energy sector.

4:45 - How flexible loads could enable new approaches to grid management, enabling up to 100 gigawatts in additional capacity.

7:20 - Scenarios for data center load curtailment and implications for uptime.

22:00 - Does low capacity utilization in data centers offer an opportunity?

30:30 - Demand for AI is raising stakes for a workable solutions to a complex problems.

At Data Center Richness we demystify technology and explain why data centers matter, and what comes next for the Internet, cloud computing and AI. Host Rich Miller is a journalist and analyst who has been covering the data center sector for 25 years. Subscribe to our channel for more insights: https://www.youtube.com/@DataCenterRichness?sub_confirmation=1

LINKS FROM THIS SHOW:

Tyler Norris on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/tylerhnorris/

Rethinking Load Growth (Tyler's paper)
https://nicholasinstitute.duke.edu/publications/rethinking-load-growth

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Supplemental music via Epidemic Sound.