Tech giants launch flexible-power coalition for data centers
A new coalition launched Wednesday is seeking a triple win for a data center industry that lately has struggled to notch any wins at all. The big picture: Tech giants Google and Nvidia are partnering with startup Emerald AI to back data centers that can flex their power demand — a strategy they say could curb electricity prices, mollify angry neighbors and grow the economy with more AI…
A coalition of 20 tech and energy companies, including Google, Nvidia, and several utilities, has launched the AI Energy Management Alliance to promote data centers that can dynamically adjust their power demand. The initiative aims to reduce electricity costs, alleviate local concerns, and stimulate economic growth through greater AI infrastructure deployment.
According to a recent poll, 84% of Americans express worry about data centers' impact on local electricity prices, while over half are deeply concerned about AI's environmental impact. The coalition seeks to incentivize data centers to reduce power usage during peak grid demand, potentially avoiding costly grid upgrades. Google has pledged to reduce 1 gigawatt of its power consumption on demand, contingent on regulations recognizing such flexibility and offering faster, more advantageous connections to the power grid.
However, actual implementation will depend on data centers' ability to demonstrate reliable demand reduction, which may be a challenging sell to skeptical communities.
Written by urgent.news from Axios's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
