Data Centers

U.S. power infrastructure—the intricate physical fabric that laces together generation, transmission, and distribution—is under intensifying strain. Outdated and overextended, it must now absorb relentless growth from electrification and data centers or risk escalating reliability threats, surging costs, and a weakened global competitive edge. POWER examines the dysfunction and what it will actually take to future-proof […]

Applied Digital, a builder and operator of next-generation data centers, has launched an infrastructure partnership with ABB at the company’s Greenfield 400-MW campus in North Dakota. TRhe collaboration will innovate fast, reliable, energy-efficient solutions to meet the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI).

Microgrids have grown in importance as the need for a reliable and resilient supply of power has grown. The technology has proven itself for a variety of commercial and industrial (C&I) enterprises, in both urban and rural areas where a source of off-grid—or in some cases grid-connected—energy is needed, whether a backup power or as a primary source of electricity.

National Grid in the UK has begun construction of a new Uxbridge Moor substation complex in Buckinghamshire, a project designed to connect more than one dozen new data centers to the electricity provider’s network.

Rolls-Royce said it will more than double its production of backup power generation systems for data
centers, and build a new facility in Minnesota, as part of a $24-million investment in U.S. manufacturing.

A startup company led by former executives with major technology and energy groups is betting on the use of natural gas and battery energy storage to provide data centers with on-site power, freeing those sites from reliance on the traditional power grid.

Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) and Smart Wires have announced a project to enhance grid reliability and meet energy commitments for data centers connecting in San Jose, California. North Carolina-based Smart Wires will deploy its advanced power flow control (APFC) technology to help PG&E mitigate thermal overloads, redirect power flow, and increase available capacity at its Los Esteros electric substation.

Microgrids have proven their role in enhancing the reliability, resilience, and sustainability of the modern power system. Kirk Edelman, CEO of SolMicroGrid, provided POWER with several lists detailing the technologies behind microgrids, the companies that can benefit from deployment, and the services the systems can provide for their end-users.

The deciding factor in the artificial intelligence (AI) race may come down to our ability to provide new data centers what they need most: massive amounts of constantly available electricity. In the U.S., data centers and their need to accommodate AI account for about half the projected growth of electricity demand through 2030. But the […]

U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright on May 7 told lawmakers that the Department of Energy (DOE) is entering what he called “a golden era of American energy dominance,” outlining the Trump administration’s strategy to prioritize fossil fuels, nuclear power, grid modernization, and permitting reform, while positioning the U.S. to lead in artificial intelligence (AI) […]