source: techcrunch ai: one fallen power line exposed a growing ai data center problem. here’s how to fix it.
level: technical
a power line failure outside washington, dc, this week led to a sudden loss of over 3 gigawatts of data center load on the pjm grid, which spans from northern virginia to chicago. the event caused voltage spikes and flickering lights across the region but no blackout. data centers switched to backup power within seconds, removing demand and creating a supply surplus that took 11 minutes to stabilize. this incident was twice as large as a similar one in 2024, when 1.5 gigawatts disconnected.
the grid requires near-perfect balance between supply and demand. when the line failed, data centers sensed the voltage dip and disconnected in a split second, all reacting similarly. this synchronized drop in demand amplified the initial problem. experts warn such events will become more frequent as data center loads grow. pjm data centers currently represent about 3% of total demand, but by 2040 they could reach 24%, increasing the risk of larger disruptions.
solutions include making data centers ride through grid disturbances instead of disconnecting. startup on.energy has developed a campus-wide uninterruptible power supply using batteries and power conversion equipment. this system hides the data center behind a consistent load, allowing it to absorb fluctuations and even use excess power to charge batteries. it can also follow grid signals within milliseconds. grid operators like ercot are starting to require large loads to ride through disruptions, but adoption needs to accelerate.
why it matters: as ai data centers multiply, their synchronized disconnections can destabilize power grids, threatening reliability for millions unless new hardware and grid rules are adopted.
source: techcrunch ai: one fallen power line exposed a growing ai data center problem. here’s how to fix it.