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A UK trial has demonstrated that advanced data centers can modify their electricity consumption in response to grid signals using artificial intelligence technology. The project was conducted by National Grid with partners Emerald AI, EPRI, Nebius and NVIDIA.
The test took place over several days at a London data center and used Emerald AI’s “Emerald Conductor” software to manage a cluster of 96 NVIDIA Blackwell Ultra GPUs. During more than 200 simulated grid events, the system reduced electricity demand by as much as 40% without interrupting key computing tasks.
According to the results, the technology responded to sudden increases in electricity demand and was also able to sustain reduced power use for extended periods. In one scenario simulating system stress, the system lowered load by approximately 30% within 30 seconds.
The trial was designed to demonstrate how data centers could support grid stability by adjusting electricity demand rather than operating as fixed, always-on loads. The approach may help reduce grid constraints, support renewable energy connections and enable larger or faster grid connections for new data centers as electricity demand increases.
Steve Smith, President of National Grid Partners, said, “As the UK’s digital economy accelerates, there’s concern that data centres could add pressure to an already constrained system. This trial proves the opposite can be true. High-performance data centres don’t have to place additional strain on the grid. With our partners, we’ve shown they can be connected and managed without major new network capacity, flexing their power up or down in real time to support the whole system. This approach will enable us to connect significant new demand more quickly and help to lower network charges for customers over time.”
Data from the trial will be shared with regulators and industry groups and may inform future approaches to connecting data centers to the electricity system.