Google AI empowers the largest grid operator in the United States, PJM, to accelerate the grid connection process for new power projects

According to Zhitong Finance APP, Google (GOOGL.US) announced on Thursday that it will collaborate with PJM Interconnection, the largest grid operator in North America, to jointly deploy artificial intelligence (AI) technology to accelerate the integration process of new power projects into the grid.

This collaboration marks the first time AI technology has been used to comprehensively manage the power grid interconnection queue system. As large tech companies build data centers on a large scale to train and deploy AI, electricity demand continues to rise.

Amanda Peterson Corio, Google's energy director for data centers, stated at a press conference: "For over a decade, the industry has been discussing the concept of building a smart grid. Now, with the help of AI, we can finally turn this vision into reality."

In recent years, the waiting time for the U.S. grid to connect new energy projects such as wind, solar, and natural gas has reached historic highs. These delays have exacerbated power supply shortages in many parts of the United States, as the retirement of aging power plants outpaces the integration of new sources, leading to higher electricity prices and increased risks of power outages.

The AI solution jointly developed by Google and its supported company Tapestry (TPR.US) can effectively shorten the waiting period for PJM grid projects through information integration and the automation of interconnection review planning processes.

Page Crahan, General Manager of Tapestry, stated: "This technology aims to automate a large amount of time-consuming manual review work." The AI tools and models developed in collaboration with PJM are expected to be launched in 2025 and gradually put into use in the coming years.

Initially, this technology will be used to automate the manual processes of grid planners, including reviewing interconnection applications to assess project feasibility.

Over time, the collaboration between Google, Tapestry, and PJM will build a PJM grid model similar to a "Google Maps" for grid information, integrating different layers of information that planners may need to view, allowing for one-click switching to facilitate faster decision-making, introduce new insights, and potentially improve work efficiency, Crahan stated.

However, Aftab Khan, PJM's Executive Vice President of Operations, Planning, and Security, noted that it is still too early to determine the extent to which the collaboration with Google can shorten the time for new power plants to connect to the system.

It is reported that PJM manages the power system covering 67 million people in the United States, with its operational area including Northern Virginia, home to the world's largest data center hub