Nov 4, 2025 (Canary Media) – A first-of-a-kind project underway outside Portland, Oregon, could provide a model for data centers to connect to the grid without driving up utility bills and carbon emissions.
Silicon Valley startup Gridcare launched in May with a promise that its artificial intelligence–powered software can help actualize one of the hottest concepts in the electricity sector: data center flexibility. Last month, it announced the successful use of its software by utility Portland General Electric (PGE) to bring 80 megawatts of data center load online next year in Hillsboro, Oregon.
That’s not a ton of new computing load, considering the gigawatts’ of prospective data center expansions being planned across the country. But as a real-world example of a utility planning around a data center’s commitment to reduce power use during moments of high demand, the project may well be a breakthrough.
