Why data centres require a new era of power | Rolls-Royce

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Why data centres require a new era of power

Our use of artificial intelligence (AI) is accelerating fast. Where we once used around 5 to 7 gigabytes of data to create an image, today’s models need up to 100,000 times the computational resource. Meanwhile, the way we generate and consume power is evolving to meet a range of wider challenges.

Vittorio Pierangeli, Senior Vice President PowerGen of our Power Systems division spoke at the Datacenter Live Summit in London recently about why energy is becoming the defining factor of the AI era.

Powering the new age

In his presentation, Pierangeli explained: “Conventional coal plants are being decommissioned, while renewable generation remains intermittent. In addition, demand is becoming increasingly more volatile, driven by electrification and AI. A more volatile generation landscape, combined with a more volatile demand, creates instability in the grid, requiring additional baseload generation and decentralised energy solutions.”

The total power generation market is projected to nearly triple between 2025 and 2030, driven primarily by data center demand. Today, AI is no longer a niche application but a global driver of innovation and an everyday tool for many of us. As a result, we have entered a new era of power demand dependent on higher output and reliability that can seem at odds with the ever-changing energy landscape.

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Keeping pace with growing demand

Despite this demand, supply is struggling to keep pace. “Cumulative U.S. grid power supply to data centers is forecast to fall more than 50 gigawatts short of demand by 2030,” said Pierangeli. “And while a data centre itself can be built in 18 to 24 months, securing a grid connection takes 3 to 7 years.”

Major developers can’t wait several years for a utility connection, creating new opportunities for modular, scalable technologies such as our mtu gas gensets in the near term and Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) further down the line.

Opting for power independence

In the meantime, developers are increasingly incorporating their own independent power plants into new data center concepts – allowing them to produce the energy needed to run the facility reliably until the grid or new energy sources are available.

Our mtu gas generator systems provide continuous power either directly at the data centre or as part of dedicated power plants. With short deployment times, high operational flexibility and a modular design, these systems offer high efficiency and speed-to-market.

Ensuring stability during rapid growth

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Perhaps the most critical challenge of the AI era is the extreme fluctuation of power demand from training new models which can generate sharp power swings – straining transformers and disrupting the broader grid.

Our mtu Kinetic PowerPack energy storage systems act as fast-reacting buffers within these energy systems, stabilising voltage and frequency and smoothing out power peaks. They respond instantly to load changes and provide uninterruptible power supply functionality without the need for additional batteries.

Having the best backup plan

The Uptime Institute’s Tier IV certification has set the highest global standard for data center reliability and resilience, mandating that modern data centers must achieve more than 99.99% availability.

To achieve this, developers need proven systems to deliver mission critical backup power. Already, more than 25% of the data centres globally rely on our mtu Series 4000 gensets for failsafe security.

Built for the future

Powering data centres reliably in the new era of demand requires solutions that can move as fast as the industry itself. Modular, scalable and fuel-flexible, our mtu portfolio meets data center operators where they are today – and where they need to be tomorrow.

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