"The companies have plans for a new data center in Shackelford County, Texas, that will be powered by hundreds of natural gas generators, bypassing the strained U.S. power grid so it can come online faster. The project illustrates how the race to build AI infrastructure has reshaped the energy industry nearly overnight. The practice of data centers going "off grid" or "behind the meter" (the energy industry's term for generating one's own power) is emerging as a new effect of the AI race in the US."
"The new installation, known as a 'microgrid,' will enable the site to generate its own electricity, eliminating the need for service from a local utility. This means the data center can bypass the bottlenecked public grid line and get up and running fast, possibly as early as 2026."
Oracle and OpenAI plan a Stargate data center in Shackelford County, Texas, powered by hundreds of on-site natural gas generators. Voltagrid, partner to developer Vantage Data Centers, is building a roughly 700-megawatt microgrid for the site. The microgrid will produce electricity on-site, removing reliance on local utility service and allowing faster commissioning, potentially by 2026. The shift toward "off grid" or "behind-the-meter" generation reflects long waits for grid connections and the huge, immediate power needs of AI workloads. Other operators, including xAI, are also using or planning private natural-gas plants to meet demand.
Read at Business Insider
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