Google has recently integrated 1-gigawatt of demand response capacity into their long‑term energy contracts with the addition of three utilities across the U.S. as the company seeks to find more power for its AI data centres.
The move is Google’s latest attempt to secure power for its growing data centres while keeping pace with rivals Amazon Web Services, Anthropic and Microsoft.
A single gigawatt can power a mid-size city with nearly 1 million homes.
Google signed contracts with Entergy Arkansas, Minnesota Power and DTE Energy, adding to agreements announced last year with Indiana Michigan Power and the Tennessee Valley Authority.
“This demand-side flexibility, along with other new resources we’re bringing to the system — such as solar, geothermal and long-duration energy storage projects — enables valuable capacity for grids while helping our utility partners support reliability”, Google stated in a blog.
Google added demand response enables its data centres to shift or reduce power use, helping utilities balance supply and demand and improving grid reliability and affordability.
The tech giant achieves this flexibility by adjusting certain ML workloads during times when the grid is stressed.
Source: Mobile World Live
Image Credit: Google
