Particle.news
Download on the App Store

National Grid Invests in Emerald AI to Pilot Real-Time Control of Data Centre Power

The pilot seeks to show that flexible AI workload orchestration can free grid capacity to shorten connection times for the UK’s growing data centre pipeline.

Overview

  • A live UK demonstration is planned for late 2025 using NVIDIA GPUs to adjust data centre energy use in real time.
  • National Grid Partners has made a strategic, undisclosed investment in Emerald AI alongside the technology tie-up.
  • Emerald AI’s Conductor platform identifies workloads that can be slowed, paused, or shifted to temporarily cut electricity demand.
  • The approach aims to let operators connect sooner by agreeing to dial down consumption during peak periods, reducing near-term infrastructure needs.
  • National Grid reports 13.5 GW of data centres seeking connection and says the collaboration will also work on standards and customer deployments.