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Runaway Demand for Electricity in the US

Tech companies, data center developers, and power utilities have been expressing concern over the prospect of unexpectedly high electricity demand in the US due to the rapid growth of AI.

A Potential Solution

A new paper published recently suggests that the situation might not be as dire as thought if data center operators and other heavy electricity users reduce their power consumption by a small amount.

Unlocking Additional Capacity

By limiting power drawn from the grid to 90% of its maximum capacity for a few hours at a time, for example, new users could unlock an additional 76 gigawatts of capacity in the US. This is equivalent to about 10% of peak demand in the country.

Progressive Capacity Unlocking

If data centers were to reduce their power consumption further, they could unlock even more capacity.

Demand Response Programs Are Not New

Such programs are not a new concept. Utilities have been encouraging big electricity users, such as shopping malls, universities, and factories, to reduce their consumption during peak demand periods for decades.

Data Centers Can Participate in Demand Response

Data centers have largely avoided participating in demand response programs, preferring to maintain uptime and performance for their customers. However, the study argues that data centers have the potential to be flexible and could be ideal demand response participants.

Ways to Trim Power Use

Data centers can reduce their power consumption in several ways, including:

• Temporal flexibility: shifting computing tasks to times of lower demand
• Spatial flexibility: shifting computational tasks to regions with lower demand
• Alternative power sources: using batteries to make up for any curtailment

Real-World Examples

Some companies have already participated in ad hoc demand response programs. For example, Google has used its carbon-aware computing platform to enable demand response, while Enel X has worked with data centers to tap into the batteries in their uninterruptible power supplies to stabilize the grid.

Toward a More Manageable Situation

These tweaks may not completely eliminate the need for new sources of power, but they could help turn a potentially catastrophic situation into one that is more easily manageable.