AI energy hunger: Unstable power supply around US data centers

The great hunger for energy of artificial intelligence (AI) is also causing a boom in the construction of data centers in the USA. This is apparently not only a burden on the environment and climate, but also on the power supply to US households. An analysis published by the Bloomberg financial service shows that undesirable harmonics are increasingly occurring in the power grid in the vicinity of such data centers that are being built out of the ground. These are waves whose frequencies are many times higher than the fundamental oscillations (50 Hz).

Harmonics are usually caused by non-linear loads in the supply network. This occurs when the electrical voltage is distorted due to various influencing factors. Common causes include overloaded transformers, power supply units with peak value rectifiers and the use of converter valves. As a result, the trouble-free operation of other consumers can be impaired.

The new study is primarily based on around 770,000 sensors from Whisker Labs. The company monitors power quality in real time using residential meters. Almost 90 percent of all US households are less than half a mile (800 meters) away from such a sensor. According to the study, conducted in conjunction with market research firm DC Byte, more than half of the monitored homes with the strongest harmonics and associated potential power quality disruptions are within 20 miles (about 32 kilometers) of major data centers. Census data shows that approximately 3.7 million Americans live in the most severely affected areas.

AI as a hammer for the power grid

The measurement period of the analysis covers data from February to October 2024, with more than three quarters of the distorted electricity readings occurring within a 50-mile radius of major AI data centers. According to Bloomberg, this is about more than just the question of whether there is enough power to turn on the lights. Poor harmonics can affect the quality of the electricity to such an extent that household appliances could be destroyed and the risk of electrically triggered fires increases in the event of voltage peaks.

Overall poorer power quality could also cause lights to flicker and lead to voltage drops and power outages. Grid operators and individual electricity suppliers questioned the results of the analysis. Self-measured distortions were within industry standards.

The head of Whisker Labs, Bob Marshal, sees harmonics as an early sign of "stress and problems" in the power grid. AI acts like "a big hammer" for the grid, explained Hasala Dharmawardena from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). Data centers represent "a very large load": The power requirement of a data center is a good 10,000 times higher than that of a standard household.

Individual data centers specializing in AI services require as much energy as small cities. They are being built at record speed within 12 or 24 months – much faster than grid planning takes place. According to experts, this is exacerbating developments such as an ageing electricity infrastructure in the USA, the increase in extreme weather and the electrification of other areas of everyday life, such as the rise in e-cars. In Germany, the government expects the electricity consumption of data centers to double by 2037.

(mho)