GreenScale publishes data centre grid design guidance
Author: Joe Peck
GreenScale, a developer of hyperscale data centre campuses, has published open-source design requirements to help data centre operators adapt mechanical and electrical (M&E) infrastructure to variable AI loads and evolving grid codes.
The document, Grid & AI Load Compatibility: System Design Requirements for AI Load, Grid Code & Fault Ride-Through, was developed with contributions from vendors, partners, and independent experts. It outlines considerations for managing variable AI power demand, meeting grid connection requirements, complying with fault ride-through rules, supporting demand response, and adapting to future changes in grid codes and tenant load profiles.
GreenScale says the guidance is intended to give operators a practical starting point for developing their own designs, reducing duplicated work and helping the industry progress towards compliance.
Fault ride-through requirements are emerging as data centres become more significant participants in the electricity system, where grid stability is a shared objective. However, grid codes vary by region and continue to evolve, leaving no widely adopted common specification for data centre power systems to be designed and tested against.
Liam Newcombe, SVP Product, Energy Strategy and Innovation at GreenScale, notes, “The deployment of AI requires data centres to move from being simple customers of the electricity grid to participants in the grid.
“Data centres as a class are now large enough to impact grid stability, which means facilities need to adapt, incorporating capabilities such as fault ride-through to ensure this impact is positive, resulting in a resilient, stable grid.
“The task is no longer simply to protect the IT equipment from the grid, but to meet the combined requirements of the IT equipment, data centre infrastructure, and electricity grid.
“This document is published as a work in progress. It provides an initial approach that we hope others in the industry will test, challenge, and improve. By publishing it open-source, we hope to provide a useful starting point for others, sharing our learnings both direct and from our contributors.”
Addressing evolving grid requirements
The guidance promotes a base system design that accounts for foreseeable operating conditions, including load- and site-specific constraints that affect design, equipment selection, and specification.
Examples include specifying uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems with fault ride-through capabilities and mechanical equipment able to operate across required voltage and frequency ranges.
Liam says adaptability was a central principle, as AI load profiles, grid codes, and flexibility requirements continue to develop. The guidance aims to help project teams make proportionate decisions now and reduce the risk of costly equipment changes later.
GreenScale suggests that modelling, technical data, and design knowledge developed through early projects could also be transferable to future data centre developments.
The document is released under a Creative Commons Zero (CC0) licence, allowing companies and individuals to use and build upon it under the licence terms. GreenScale is inviting data centre operators, designers, engineering consultants, utilities, technology providers, and independent experts to review and reuse the document, as well as to contribute to further industry discussion.
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