In our computing-driven era, the escalating power consumption of modern data centers, currently constituting approximately 3% of global energy use, is a burgeoning concern. With the anticipated surge in usage accompanying widespread adoption of AI technologies, addressing this issue becomes imperative. This keynote discusses a potential solution: integrating data centers into grid programs such as “demand response”. This strategy not only augments power usage without necessitating new fossil-fuel infrastructure, but also facilitates more ambitious renewable deployment. However, the unique scale, operational constraints, and future projections of data centers present distinct and urgent challenges for implementing demand response. On the other hand, data centers, in contrast to other electricity consumers, boast greater flexibility in power control and offer the potential for collaborative optimization. This intersection of challenges and capabilities opens avenues for designing intelligent solutions that dynamically adjust data center power usage in response to grid requirements while meeting performance demands.

This keynote delves into the opportunities as well as the myths inherent in this perspective on improving data center sustainability. While obstacles such as creating requisite software infrastructure, establishing institutional trust, and addressing privacy concerns are prominent, the landscape is evolving. Noteworthy achievements have emerged in the development of intelligent solutions that can be swiftly implemented in data centers to accelerate demand response. These multifaceted solutions encompass dynamic power capping, load scheduling, load forecasting, market bidding, and collaborative optimization. This keynote offers insights into the exciting journey towards making sustainable computing a reality.