The proliferation of data centers aimed at meeting AI's computational needs could spell bad news for the U.S. power grid, according to a new report from Bloomberg.
Using 1 million home sensors tracked by Whisker Labs and market intelligence data from DC Byte, Bloomberg found that more than half of the households with the worst power distortions were within 20 miles of significant data center activity. I discovered that I live in
In other words, there appears to be a link between proximity to data centers and “bad harmonics” (a term used to describe less-than-ideal power flow to the home).
Bloomberg says this “distorted” power could eventually destroy appliances connected to the outlets, increase vulnerability to electrical fires, and even lead to brownouts and power outages. Additionally, AI data centers can be further challenged by volatile energy requirements.
“No grid is designed to handle that kind of load fluctuation, not just in one data center, but across multiple data centers at the same time,” said Aman Joshi, chief commercial officer at Bloom Energy. .
A spokesperson for Commonwealth Edison in Chicago told Bloomberg that the utility “has strong doubts about the accuracy and underlying assumptions of Whisker Lab's claims.”