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National Grid and Emerald AI have announced a strategic partnership to demonstrate how AI data centres can work with the transmission network to adjust their energy use in real time to make better use of existing grid capacity.
The utility and US-based tech company, which describes itself as a pioneer in AI-driven compute orchestration, will deliver a live demonstration in the UK.
The demonstration will make use of Emerald Conductor, Emerald AI’s system that acts as a smart mediator between the grid and a data centre, supporting flexible management of energy demand.
Targeted for late 2025, the demonstration will use cutting-edge NVIDIA GPUs, dynamically adjust energy consumption, and support grid stability, showing how a wide variety of AI workload types can be adjusted in real time.
By changing computing activity when the grid is under pressure, the demonstration aims to prove that AI data centres can act as responsive partners to the electricity network while maintaining performance standards for mission-critical workloads.
Building on the demonstration, the partners also aim to advance technical standards for AI data centre flexibility, collaborate with customers to bring this capability to the growing pipeline of UK data centres, and foster broader industry collaboration through the NextGrid Alliance.
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Commenting in a release was Emerald AI CEO Varun Sivaram: “AI infrastructure doesn’t have to be a burden on the grid—it can be a critical asset.
“Together with National Grid, we’re proving that flexible AI factories can accelerate AI innovation in the UK while enhancing reliability and affordability for everyone connected to the grid.”
Said Steve Smith, chief strategy and regulation officer at National Grid: “As the UK’s digital economy grows, unlocking new ways to flexibly manage energy use is essential for connecting more data centres to our network efficiently.
“This groundbreaking trial with Emerald AI demonstrates how innovative technologies can help us optimise the grid, enable increased investment in advanced computing, and deliver real benefits to the wider UK economy.”
In a release, Emerald AI says that the electricity transmission network is designed with built-in redundancy to ensure reliability of the power system.
Capacity is typically available outside of peak events like hot summer days or cold winter storms, when there’s high demand for cooling and heating.
That means that in many cases, there’s room on the existing grid to connect new data centres, if they can temporarily dial down energy usage during periods of peak demand.
By increasing the utilisation of existing electricity infrastructure, adds the company, National Grid, working closely with the National Energy System Operator (NESO), can better manage growing demand, attract investment in advanced computing, and support the UK’s transition to a more efficient and flexible energy system.
