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

RELATED VIDEO:

Data Centers, AI and the Future of Power
https://youtu.be/EYo2YK7L5q0

How Soon Will Nuclear Data Centers Become A Reality?
https://youtu.be/STr3FHuBhok

Supplemental music via Epidemic Sound.

The geography of data center real estate has been changing rapidly since ChatGPT arrived in 2022, kicking off huge demand for IT infrastructure for AI hardware. This AI boom has transformed how data centers are designed, and where they are located and powered.

To understand these changes, DCR host Rich Miller spoke with David Liggitt, the founder and CEO of datacenterHawk, which provides research and analysis on data center real estate. David is one of the sector’s sharpest analysts, and has been tracking data center markets for nearly 20 years. With the in-depth market data compiled by datacenterHawk, he has a unique vantage point on how AI is changing data centers, and what it may mean for our digital future.

In our discussion, David shares his perspective on utility power constraints in key real estate markets, the super-sizing of data center buildings and campuses, and how that has altered many of the traditional approaches to data center site selection. We also examine the influx of capital and new players in the data center market, whether there is a bubble developing, and why experience matters in delivering hyperscale campuses.

David also offers a glimpse into what datacenterHawk’s research suggests about which markets might emerge next as data center destinations. Some of them might surprise you. Here’s our conversation.

00:00 - Introduction from Rich and David's background
02:03 - How the AI boom has changed the data center market
04:55 - Following the power, and the new geography
07:25 - The growing role of natural gas in site selection
09:45 - Is there a bubble? Why execution matters.
12:45 - The outlook for consolidation and M&A
20:25 - What are the interesting emerging data center markets?
24:40 - Community relations and resource impact of new projects
26:21 - The Road Ahead for Data Center Supply and Demand

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:

datacenterHawk
https://datacenterhawk.com/

datacenterHawk on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/@datacenterHawk

RELATED VIDEO:

Data Centers, AI and the Future of Power
https://youtu.be/EYo2YK7L5q0

How Soon Will Nuclear Data Centers Become A Reality?
https://youtu.be/STr3FHuBhok

Why Data Centers Matter in the Age of AI
https://youtu.be/9GJSENgbcmk

Supplemental music via Epidemic Sound.

Could data centers help reshape the power grid? The boom in AI infrastructure is creating challenges for data centers, utility providers and power grids. To help us understand the state of play between data and energy, we turned to Elisa Wood, the founder of Energy Changemakers, which focuses on the future of distributed energy. Elisa has been covering the energy sector for years, and many of you may know her work at Microgrid Knowledge.

We discuss the intersection of energy and data, the potential for innovation and new business models., and the prospect for more data centers with on-site power generation, and what that might mean for the future of the grid.

Join host Rich Miller as he and Elisa Wood examine data centers, AI and the future of power.

Here’s our discussion.

00:00 - Intro and background on Elisa Wood
00:45 - The energy sector’s love-hate relationship with data centers
09:20 - AI demand and the importance of “time to power”
14:30 - On-site power is coming, at Internet scale
16:30 - Regulatory considerations with on-site power
18:45 - How decentralized data center power might shift the future of the grid
21:30 - Natural gas as the bridge to nuclear
23:00 - Communication gaps between the utility and data center sectors
28:00 - Server waste heat reuse and community relations
32:00 - Business model innovation on the utility side

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.

LINKS FROM THIS SHOW :

Energy Changemakers (Elisa's Company) https://energychangemakers.com/

RELATED VIDEO:

How Soon Will Nuclear Data Centers Become A Reality? https://youtu.be/STr3FHuBhok

Why Data Centers Matter in the Age of AI https://youtu.be/9GJSENgbcmk

Supplemental music via Epidemic Sound.