Right now, professionals across the power industry are asking themselves a variation of the same question: Can large-load data centers help, rather than hurt, the grid?
While conversations continue over the prudence of co-located generation, an innovative partnership is proving that flexibility doesn’t have to be negotiable- it can be baked into a data center’s DNA. InfraPartners, a digital infrastructure company delivering scalable, future-proof data center solutions, and AI-driven data center flexibility management pioneer Emerald AI are intent on turning data centers into the power grid’s greatest ally.
Flex-Ready Data Centers
Today, the tandem announced plans to combine its core products to deliver a new data center design dubbed ‘Flex-Ready Data Centers.’ The solution supports scalable AI infrastructure while reducing energy costs, advancing decarbonization, and creating new economic value through grid partnership programs.
In what the companies call “a new standard for AI data center energy efficiency,” InfraPartners and Emerald AI will bring together two technologies: InfraPartners’ scalable, Upgradeable Data Center architecture and Emerald AI’s Emerald Conductor, a multi-layer orchestration and grid-integration software. The result is the ‘Flex-Ready Data Center,’ a purpose-built, flexible data center designed for long-term performance, adaptability, and sustainability.
What’s the Big Deal?
At a time of increasing power demand concerns in the U.S,, a recent study from Duke University found significant potential for load integration onto the power grid, should flexibility measures be taken. The study, which looked at 22 of the largest balancing authorities serving 95% of the country’s peak load, finds that gigawatts of new load could be added to the US grid in each balancing authority before total load exceeds what system planners are prepared to serve, so long as the new load can be temporarily curtailed as needed.
Making facility-level flexibility a standard capability will accordingly enhance grid reliability, unlock capacity, and reduce emissions, according to the companies. AI is reshaping electricity demand and exposing fundamental challenges- not the least of which is how increased data center energy demand is outpacing available power, and variable renewable energy sources add unprecedented volatility to supply.
However, research from the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) demonstrates that data centers have the potential to act as ‘high-value grid partners.’ By modulating demands, absorbing excess renewable generation, and easing load during critical grid conditions, data centers can provide greater flexibility to the grid. Unlike traditional approaches that retrofit flexibility after construction, InfraPartners and Emerald AI are integrating infrastructure design and advanced control software from the start.
“Access to power has become a defining constraint for AI infrastructure,” confirmed Bal Aujla, head of advanced research and engineering at InfraPartners. “Building more infrastructure the way we have historically will not be fast enough. We need to make the infrastructure we have more intelligent by leveraging AI. This partnership will turn data centers from grid constraints into grid partners and unlock more usable capacity from existing infrastructure. The result will be enhanced AI deployment without compromising reliability or sustainability.”
“We can power the AI revolution, while at the same time advancing a more reliable, affordable, and clean power grid. Our partnership with InfraPartners will help turn data centers from static electricity consumers into flexible, grid-supporting allies,” added Professor Ayse Coskun, chief scientist at Emerald AI. “By making AI data centers flexible, we can prudently expand our grid, support groundbreaking innovation, and make energy cost-effective for everyone.”
How Flexible Data Centers Work
Emerald AI’s Emerald Conductor connects directly with InfraPartners data center building management systems (BMS). The BMS ingests real-time insight from power, cooling, storage, and on-site energy systems and feeds that information into Emerald AI’s optimization engine. From there, Emerald AI connects InfraPartners data centers to utilities, ISOs, and aggregators. This multi-layer orchestration allows data centers to dynamically adjust load to respond to grid conditions in real time, cutting demand during peaks, increasing consumption when surplus renewable energy is available, and aligning operations to economic and environmental goals.
InfraPartners’ Upgradeable Data Center architecture ensures the full capabilities of Emerald AI’s flexibility platform can be deployed rapidly and sustained over time, even as technologies evolve. Built with fungible power and cooling systems, InfraPartners facilities can accommodate successive generations of AI chips without disruptive redesigns, minimizing stranded capacity and protecting long-term investment.
To learn more, check out the white paper released by the two organizations titled, ‘Enabling Grid-Integrated, Flex-Ready Data Centers’, detailing the technology and process behind the collaboration.
From May 12-14, 2026, DTECH Data Centers & AI will assemble utilities, engineers, and technical decision-makers in Scottsdale, Arizona, to discuss everything from capacity constraints to streamlining studies, from modernizing infrastructure to integrating onsite generation into both utility and customer-side systems. Register for DTECH Data Centers & AI now before early-bird pricing ends on April 1, 2026.
