Who is Amanda Peterson Corio? Google Energy Chief explains how AI data centres could help strengthen power grids

Amanda Peterson Corio, Google's global head of data centre energy, is addressing the issue of how the company's rapidly expanding artificial intelligence operations can secure more electricity without overburdening power grids. Instead of viewing data centres as mere consumers of power, Google is exploring ways to adjust their electricity usage to assist utilities in managing high demand periods.

Peterson Corio oversees various aspects of energy procurement, policy, and infrastructure development for Google's global data centres. With over 20 years of experience in energy project finance, development, and power procurement, she joined Google more than a decade ago when the company's energy team was much smaller. As AI has grown, so has the scale of the challenge, requiring more electricity and closer coordination with utilities.

Google has taken a partnership approach with utilities, focusing on long-term planning of infrastructure rather than just meeting immediate demand. One key strategy is demand response, which enables data centres to reduce or shift some electricity consumption when the grid experiences pressure. Not every computing task needs to happen immediately, and Google can delay or relocate certain machine-learning workloads to lessen demand at specific sites without disrupting essential services.

In August 2025, Google signed agreements with Indiana Michigan Power and the Tennessee Valley Authority to apply this demand response approach to machine-learning workloads, covering a total of one gigawatt of capacity across multiple U.S. utility partners. In March 2026, Google had agreements covering an additional one gigawatt of demand-response capacity.

Flexibility alone won't satisfy AI's electricity needs, so Google is also collaborating with utilities to build new generation and storage capacity while bearing the associated infrastructure costs. In Minnesota, Google has a deal with Xcel Energy that includes 1,400 megawatts of wind, 200 megawatts of solar, and 300 megawatts of long-duration battery storage, with Google covering the new grid infrastructure costs related to the project.

However, this approach has limitations. Some computing workloads cannot be delayed, and demand response isn't available at every site. For Google, the challenge lies in expanding AI while ensuring reliable and affordable power. Peterson Corio argues that, with proper planning and investment, data centres can help modernize the grid, which they increasingly rely on.