Oak Ridge spawns institute to curb AI datacenter power surge

Steven

Oak Ridge spawns institute to curb AI datacenter power surge

Summary

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has launched the Next Generation Data Centers Institute (NGDCI) to tackle the looming electricity and infrastructure strain caused by rapidly expanding AI datacentres. Operating as an “institute within an institute,” NGDCI will draw on ORNL’s strengths in energy, high-performance computing, cybersecurity and grid technology to develop integrated approaches that make datacentres more secure, efficient and grid-friendly.

The new institute will target six core research areas: thermal management, power system architecture, grid integration, security (including cyber‑informed engineering and quantum‑safe communications), integrated systems modelling, and operational load management. ORNL argues that clever integration of power, cooling, workload scheduling and AI forecasting could turn AI’s energy demands from a liability into an asset for the national grid. Industry players such as Nvidia and AMD have welcomed the initiative, and NGDCI will support operation of ORNL’s upcoming Discovery and Lux supercomputers as part of the Genesis Mission.

Key Points

  • ORNL has launched the Next Generation Data Centers Institute (NGDCI) to address rising power needs from AI datacentres.
  • NGDCI will focus on six research areas: thermal management, power system architecture, grid integration, security, integrated systems modelling, and operational load management.
  • Cooling and thermal management are critical: current cooling can account for 40–60% of a datacentre’s energy consumption.
  • Research into power architecture includes exploring direct current distribution and advanced power electronics to cut transmission losses.
  • Security work will embed cyber‑informed engineering and quantum‑safe communications into datacentre infrastructure.
  • Integrated systems modelling will assess wider impacts on energy, jobs, materials and national competitiveness through the 2030s.
  • Industry (including Nvidia and AMD) has welcomed the move; NGDCI will support ORNL’s Discovery and Lux supercomputers and the broader Genesis Mission.

Why should I read this?

Short version: if you care about AI actually scaling without tripping the grid, read on. This isn’t just academic tinkering — ORNL is lining up tech and industry muscle to stop AI datacentres from gobbling electricity and wrecking planning assumptions. You’ll get the gist of how cooling, power design and smart scheduling could make or break national infrastructure as AI demand explodes.

Author style

Punchy: This is a big, practical move from a national lab that knows hardware, power systems and supercomputers. If AI growth keeps doubling or tripling power demand, NGDCI could be a national gamechanger — worth watching closely.

Context and relevance

Why it matters: forecasts show electricity demand from AI datacentres could double or triple over the next decade, pushing existing grids to breaking point. NGDCI’s integrated approach — linking cooling, power distribution, workload management and grid planning — aligns with broader industry and policy efforts to make AI infrastructure sustainable and resilient. For anyone involved in cloud strategy, energy planning, HPC or national infrastructure, ORNL’s work will influence technical standards and investment decisions globally.

Source

Source: https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2026/02/27/oak_ridge_datacenter_power/