Artificial intelligence (AI) has been talked about as the most important technological advancement in decades, with the potential to reshape everything from enterprise workflows to university education to the very way that human beings think. Such revolutionary changes require significant amounts of energy, and data centers have become the de facto powerhouses for AI, requiring electric utilities to consider new models of investment around them for power generation, transmission infrastructure, and much more. 

While the proliferation of data centers that is being driven by these advancements in AI highlights opportunities for development, they also present a significant challenge for electric utilities. Data centers consume energy on a whole different level, utilizing anywhere from 10-50x the electricity per square foot when compared to a typical building or structure. This demand is placing an unaccounted-for strain on existing power grids. Adding to this challenge is the unpredictable nature of AI workloads that can spike during peak load times. It’s part of the reason that utilities are under pressure to modernize their grids and implement demand response programs to manage this volatile load effectively.

Given these parameters, what does effective data center and utility collaboration look like? How can newly defined rate designs and tariffs be considered? Why are load management and grid-level demand response strategies such an important element of these considerations? How can utilities manage AI demand while also utilizing its game-changing tools? All of these questions and more will be explored and answered at DTECH® Data Centers and AI, taking place in Scottsdale, Arizona, on May 12-14th, 2026. 

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