Google, Nvidia, and Anthropic want Emerald AI to find space on the grid for more data centers
techcrunch ·
Emerald AI has formed the AI Energy Management Alliance with Google and Nvidia to use its grid software to help connect more data centers to the electricity grid. Anthropic and utilities including AES, Constellation, National Grid, and NRG Energy are also participating. The alliance aims to make demand response—a practice of temporarily reducing or shifting data-center electricity use—central to data-center development, potentially enabling another 100 gigawatts of capacity to connect. Emerald AI’s software coordinates utility requests with data centers, allowing them to pause noncritical work or move computing to sites with available grid capacity instead of relying primarily on diesel backup generators. The company recently raised $150 million in a Series A, while other efforts include tools from Google and Enel X’s use of data-center uninterruptible power supplies. The coalition also seeks to help companies and utilities identify new data-center sites, but Emerald AI’s chief scientist says demand response will reduce rather than eliminate the need for new power-generation sources.
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