Special Session 7
Operation and Control for Power Systems with Large Scale Integration of Data Center Loads

"高比例算电接入下电力系统运行与控制"

The rapid growth of artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and digital services is driving large-scale deployment of data centers, with individual facilities reaching hundreds of megawatts or even gigawatt scale. Their high power density, concentrated grid connection, rapid load variations, and stringent reliability requirements are creating new challenges for power system operation and control. In particular, large data center loads may significantly affect power balance, transmission congestion, voltage security, frequency response, and system operating margins, especially in power systems with high penetration of renewable generation.
At the same time, data centers are not purely passive loads. Workload scheduling, geographical load migration, cooling systems, energy storage, and backup power resources provide considerable temporal and spatial flexibility, creating opportunities for data centers to actively participate in grid operation. However, effectively utilizing such flexibility requires better understanding of the coupling between computing processes and electrical characteristics.
This panel will discuss key research challenges and emerging solutions for power systems with large-scale data center integration, including data center load modeling and forecasting, grid hosting capability and security assessment, stability impacts of fast-changing computing loads, coordinated scheduling of computing and power resources, demand flexibility, and interactions with renewable generation and energy storage. The panel will also explore new operation and control frameworks that jointly consider computing performance, energy efficiency, power system security, and economic operation, and identify future research directions for reliable and efficient integration of rapidly growing data center loads.

随着人工智能、大模型训练及云计算等新型算力需求快速增长，数据中心呈现规模大型化、接入集中化和负荷波动快速化趋势，单体及集群用电规模持续攀升，正逐步成为影响电力系统安全运行的重要负荷类型。其高功率密度、强时变性和高供电可靠性需求，对电网功率平衡、潮流组织、电压支撑、频率稳定及备用配置提出新的挑战。同时，算力任务在时间与空间上的可迁移性，以及储能、备用电源、冷却系统等调节资源，也为数据中心参与电力系统灵活运行提供了新的技术空间。
面向大规模数据中心接入，需要进一步研究算电耦合特性与负荷建模预测、电网承载能力与安全稳定评估、算力与电力协同调度、多时间尺度灵活控制，以及数据中心与新能源、储能等资源的协同运行机制。本Panel拟围绕上述问题开展讨论，交流大规模数据中心接入背景下电力系统运行控制面临的关键科学与技术问题，并探讨未来值得重点关注的研究方向。  

---

 

Chair: Assoc. Prof. Jianzhe Liu, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China

Jianzhe Liu received the B.E. degree in electrical engineering from the Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China, in 2012, and the Ph.D. degree in electrical and computer engineering from The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA, in 2017. He was with Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL, USA, from 2018 to 2023. He is currently an Associate Professor with Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China. His research interests include control and optimization for electric power systems under uncertainties.