National Grid and Emerald AI have announced a strategic partnership to showcase how AI data centres can dynamically adjust energy consumption to support a smarter, more flexible electricity grid in the United Kingdom.

A UK-first live trial is planned for late 2025, featuring a grid-connected data centre using Emerald Conductor, an AI-powered system that acts as a mediator between the grid and the data centre. The demonstration will leverage advanced NVIDIA GPUs to dynamically manage energy demand, enhancing grid stability while maximizing existing infrastructure capacity.

Electricity transmission networks are typically built with redundancy to handle peak demand events, but often have unused capacity during off-peak periods. By enabling data centres to temporarily reduce energy usage during high-demand periods, the partnership aims to unlock this existing capacity, accelerate new data centre connections, and reduce the need for additional infrastructure.

The collaboration also positions the UK as a leader in AI-driven energy efficiency, supporting the country's growing digital economy while contributing to a more efficient and flexible energy system.

In conjunction with the partnership, National Grid Partners has made a strategic investment in Emerald AI, strengthening their shared goal of integrating AI into energy management solutions and advancing the UK's transition to a sustainable, resilient electricity network.

Source: finance.yahoo.com