EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

• Already well behind the US, Europe is at risk of missing out on the AI opportunity due to power challenges, with some countries effectively stopping new data centres that need grid connections
• Europe however is regarded to lead the US in smart grid technologies, with the digital infrastructure industry responding to this problem by generating its own power in microgrids, as well as utilising dispatchable power, which refers to on-demand energy that data centres can control.
• This whitepaper, from AVK and Wärtsilä, outlines how data centre microgrids can reduce grid infrastructure spending and wasted energy while offering a balanced path for the zero-carbon transition.
• The paper evaluates four possible power solution configurations to assess the most viable options available to an 80 MW AI data centre in Northern Europe operating under real-world conditions.