Surging Energy Demand and Flexibilities from Data Centers

A Harvard-China Project Research Seminar with Yi Wang, Assistant Professor of the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, The University of Hong Kong 

Abstract: Driven by the rapid growth of AI models such as GPT and DeepSeek, data center energy demand is rising sharply. While the surging energy demand is placing further pressure on the supply-demand balance of renewable energy systems, exploring the spatial and temporal flexibility of workloads within data centers becomes increasingly essential in supporting the supply-demand balance. In this seminar, we will first focus on forecasting the continuously increasing power consumption of data centers to provide a basis for decision-making. We will also discuss how to model and utilize data center flexibility to help integrate renewable energy while balancing supply and demand. This can be achieved through various approaches like the coordination of multiple data centers, optimal large model training, and participation in demand response programs.

Speaker Bio: Yi Wang is currently an Assistant Professor of the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, The University of Hong Kong. He received his Bachelor’s degree from Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST) in 2014 and his Ph.D. degree from Tsinghua University in 2019. He was an exchange student researcher at the University of Washington. From 2019 to 2021, he served as a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Power Systems Laboratory, ETH Zurich. His research interests include Data analytics in the smart grid, energy forecasting, multi-energy systems, Internet-of-things, and cyber-physical-social energy systems. He currently serves as the Secretary of IEEE Customer Systems & Smart Buildings Subcommittee and the Chair of IEEE PES Task Force on Data Sharing in Energy Systems. He also serves as the Associate Editor for IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid and IEEE Systems Journal. He is the recipient of the 2025 IEEE PES Outstanding Young Engineer Award.

Questions? Contact Kellie Nault

Sponsored by Harvard-China Project, Harvard Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.