2026 Event Schedule

This workshop is designed to equip utility leaders, planners, and engineers with a clear, actionable strategy for navigating the massive load and complexity introduced by hyper-scale data centers. The curriculum has been broken out into two parts with specific timing and a break in between, enabling attendees to engage with one or both pieces:

• Part 1 (1:00-2:30pm) will cover the urgent risks, including granular hyper-scale load forecasting, the role of operational AI, and the essential need to secure infrastructure against cyber threats.
  
  
• Part 2 (2:45-4:15pm) will focus on the current market and industry realities surrounding data center growth. Speakers and presenters will analyze how this unprecedented demand is re-shaping the energy sector's present and future, and discuss the far-reaching implications for technology and infrastructure as a whole.

Throughout the program, a consistent thread will be the imperative for deeper utility-data center collaboration to leverage on-site generation and drive mutual grid resilience.

Part 1: Strategic Planning, Load Impact, and Cyber Resilience

• 1:00 pm - 1:45 pm: Powering Data Centers: Accelerating Generation and Large Load Interconnection Processes with Agentic AI
  The significant growth of AI Data Centers is imposing challenges to grid planning and operations, in particular, the interconnection processes for large loads and generation of power utilities and ISOs/RTOs. In order to accelerate the interconnection process, AWS has been working with utilities, such as Duke Energy, to automate the interconnection modeling and power flow simulation, leveraging AI and High Performance Computing. This workshop will discuss the interconnection challenges and automation solutions from both Data Center and Power Utilities perspective.
  
  Presenters: Amazon, Duke Energy
  
  
• 1:45 pm - 2:30 pm: The Interconnection Bottleneck: Taming the Queue for Hyper-Scale Load
  This panel will directly connect the high-level load challenges presented by hyper-scale facilities with the on-the-ground reality of operating a resilient grid. Panelists will explore the crossover points between these topics, addressing how AI-driven energy management inside the data center can be leveraged by utility planners to improve grid stability and forecasting. It will also outline a shared defense strategy that connects the physical and cyber hardening requirements for control rooms and data centers to develop a unified resilience posture against hybrid threats that impact both the grid operator and their largest customers.
  
  
• 2:30 pm - 2:45 pm: BREAK

Part 2: Connecting to Larger Infrastructure and Energy Industry

• 2:45 pm - 3:00 pm: The integrated outlook for large load growth: Prices, supply chain and gas, oh my
  

  Large load growth is putting stress on every part of the energy system, creating significant tradeoffs between reliability, affordability, and economic development. This talk will present Wood Mackenzie's integrated outlook of the challenges facing utilities, from large load demand, power prices and supply chain to natural gas supply. It will also examine the latest developments in around-the-meter generation and off-grid development, and the impact of these trends on utilities.

  Presenter: Ben Hertz Shargel, Woodmac
  
  

• 3:00 pm - 3:45 pm: Bridging the Powering AI Divide
  As AI adoption accelerates, the demand for energy-intensive data center infrastructure is surging—creating unprecedented challenges for utilities and developers alike. How do we power this transformation without compromising grid reliability or sustainability? Join a dynamic panel of expert practitioners from leading data center developers and the utility industry as they tackle this critical question head-on. This session will explore the real-world challenges of powering AI at scale and chart innovative pathways to overcome them. At the heart of the discussion is EPRI’s groundbreaking DCFlex initiative, which is redefining how data centers interact with the grid. Panelists will share insights from live DCFlex demonstrations, revealing how load flexibility can unlock capacity, reduce stress on the grid, and accelerate clean energy integration. Expect candid perspectives, actionable strategies, and a vision for collaboration that bridges the gap between hyperscale computing and grid resilience.
  
  Panel moderator: Anuja Ratnayake, EPRI’s executive technical lead for DCFLex
  
  
• 3:45 – 4:15: The Path to 'Always-On' Power: Utility-Data Center Partnership for Resilience
  This discussion will move beyond transactional service agreements to explore deep, collaborative strategies between electric utilities and hyper-scale data center operators essential for managing massive, accelerating load growth while maintaining system reliability. Experts will identify successful models for joint planning and operational coordination, focusing on developing shared frameworks that guarantee the "always-on" power required by the digital economy while enabling both parties to collectively invest in and achieve a more reliable, resilient, and future-proof power grid.
  

Workshop Sponsored by AWS