The National Grid is set to show how AI can support a smarter, more flexible grid with a live trial planned for later this year.

National Grid said that the venture, delivered in partnership with the intelligent grid assets platform Emerald AI, will demonstrate how AI data centres can work with the transmission network to adjust their energy use in real time, making better use of existing capacity to support the UK’s digital needs. 

At the heart of the project is Emerald AI’s ‘Emerald Conductor’, an AI system that acts as a mediator between the grid and data centre, supported by the latest NVIDIA GPUs, which will dynamically adjust energy consumption on a grid-connected data centre, aiming to unlock capacity in the UK’s electricity network.

Capacity is typically available outside of peak events when there’s high demand for cooling and heating, meaning there’s room on the grid to connect new data centres if they can temporarily dial down energy usage during periods of peak demand.

By changing computing activity when the grid is under pressure, it’s hoped the project will prove that AI data centres can act as responsive partners to the electricity network while maintaining performance standards for mission-critical workloads.

According to National Grid, the partnership will help reduce the need for additional infrastructure, giving the energy firm confidence that data centres can lower their electricity use when required and allow it to manage growing demand, as well as attract investment in advanced computing infrastructure.

Building on the demonstration, National Grid and Emerald AI plan to advance technical standards for AI data centre flexibility and foster broader industry collaboration through the NextGrid Alliance, a global peer utility network of over 130 utilities, designed to address the energy sector’s toughest challenges.

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“As the UK’s digital economy grows, unlocking new ways to flexibly manage energy use is essential for connecting more data centres to our network efficiently,” said Steve Smith, chief strategy and regulation officer at National Grid.

“This groundbreaking trial with Emerald AI demonstrates how innovative technologies can help us optimise the grid, enable increased investment in advanced computing, and deliver real benefits to the wider UK economy.”

The UK grid network is currently more than seventy years old, with National Grid’s chief executive saying last year that the system needs to be upgraded in order to meet the spike in demand caused by advanced technologies, which could see data centre energy use grow sixfold in the next ten years.

The UK Government is also pushing hard. As well as setting up the country’s first AI Energy Council, with the remit of updating the energy grid to keep up with the UK’s AI ambitions, the Government has also issued a challenge to industry to design new technology that can cut energy costs for consumers and boost the country’s energy security.